Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Parking: Free parking is available. Fees: There is no charge for using materials in the research room. Please consult the fee schedule for information on fees for copies, photographic prints, research services by mail, and other services. Use of collections: First-time visitors to the research room must fill out a registration form. Personal belongings must be left in lockers which are provided free of charge. In order to protect unique and historical documents, only pencils are allowed for taking notes. Laptop computers may be used. Some materials may require special handling, and no food or drink is allowed in the research room. Original archival materials may be viewed in the research room; they may not be checked out. Some materials are available on microfilm through interlibrary loan. Tours: Tours of archives facilities are available to classes and groups. Two weeks advance notice is required. Subjects include physical facilities for storing historical documents, preservation and handling of original documents and photographs, introduction to most-used collections, and collections related to specific subject areas or locations. Presentations: Archives staff are available to give presentations to groups on topics such as caring for family documents, research sources in the state archives, and selecting records for preservation. In 2000, archives staff gave talks in Brookings, Mission, Pierre, Sioux Falls and Sisseton. For more information please contact us at 605-773-3804, e-mail Archref@state.sd.us. The South Dakota State Archives collects and preserves permanently valuable government and organizational records, personal papers, publications, photographs, maps, and sound and video recordings which document the history of South Dakota, and makes them available to the public, for the benefit of state agencies and the people of South Dakota. In order to accomplish this mission, the archives:
Adopted December 1995 History of the State Archives The State Archives was created by the State Legislature in 1975, but the origins of the archives collections date back to the creation of the State Historical Society in 1891. The State Archives and its collections were housed in various facilities until 1989 when the Cultural Heritage Center was completed, allowing all of the collections to be in one building along with the State Historical Society administrative offices and other programs administered by the Society. The State Archives is one of five programs of the State Historical Society, which is an office of the Department of Tourism and State Development. Collections The State Archives contains over 10,000 cubic feet of records that document many aspects of South Dakota’s history and heritage. With few exceptions these records are available for public research. Archival documents are used for different purposes by government officials, teachers, attorneys, students, genealogists, historians, historic preservationists, exhibit designers, authors, and journalists. As the official repository of state records, the State Archives maintains and preserves the documents produced by the executive, legislative and judicial branches of South Dakota state government. Many counties, municipalities, and townships have transferred historical records to the State Archives. The Archives collection also includes copies of federal records such as censuses, land records, and files of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. State and local records are administered by the state records management system and the Records Destruction Board. State Archives staff review all records before they are approved for destruction. More than 10,000 cubic feet of records are reviewed each year and approximately 1% are selected for permanent retention in the archives collections. The State Archives only has authority to claim records if they are designated for destruction or if they are offered by the creating agency. Records are filed by series according to the agency that created them and the date they were received. Most records are kept in whatever file arrangement that existed when they arrived. Some series are well organized and have indexes or container lists, but others are disorganized, fragmentary, or poorly documented, depending on the filing practices of the creating agency. "Manuscript" collections in the State Archives refer to all unpublished materials received from non-government sources. These materials include letters, diaries, and scrapbooks of individual’s, family papers, and minutes, reports, and correspondence files of businesses and organizations. Photographs, sound and video recordings, and other media are found in many collections. Online Manuscript Finding Aids Library Collections The library of the State Archives maintains published materials about the history of South Dakota and the surrounding Northern Great Plains region. Included are family histories, city and county histories, church histories, county atlases, city directories, maps, and cemetery indexes. In addition the collection contains South Dakota magazines and periodicals, pamphlets, theses, South Dakota laws, annual reports and documents published by government agencies, and books by South Dakota authors. Popular fiction about South Dakota is also represented in the collection. Books and some periodical titles are listed on the South Dakota Library Network online catalog. A separate book collection created and maintained by the Historic Preservation Office is found in the archives research room. It includes titles on South Dakota history as well as books on the history of architecture, preservation of historic sites, and restoration. Newspapers The largest known collection of South Dakota newspapers, consisting of more than 1000 titles preserved on approximately 13,000 reels of microfilm, and ranging from 1859 to the present is available at the State Archives. 141 currently-published newspapers are microfilmed at the Archives Microfilm Unit located at the Springfield State Prison. Newspaper microfilms are available through interlibrary loan and may be purchased. Newspaper Database SD Newspaper Surname Index Photographs In addition to photographs scattered throughout the government and manuscript collections, the Archives has a substantial photograph collection organized according to topic or category. Categories include individuals, towns, American Indians, special collections (primarily South Dakota photographers), and subjects such as the Black Hills, cowboys, farming, Mount Rushmore, groups of people, homesteads, and transportation. The map collection contains several thousand items dating from territorial days to the present pertaining to South Dakota and the surrounding states. Included are maps of early exploration, fire insurance maps, original survey plats, and state highway maps. Insurance Map Index The State Archives collects sound recordings, films, and videotapes documenting life and events in the state. Included in this collection are a number of videotapes, available for loan, regarding our region’s history, and also the care and preservation of archival records. Some formats require special equipment or recopying in order to be played or viewed. Oral Histories Audio tapes of interviews with South Dakotans on subjects such as homesteading, ranching, politics, education, the Depression and the Vietnam War are available. Printed transcripts have been made for some items. Online Access Information and finding aids to collections are available on the archives web site. The State Archives also cooperates with the SDGENWEB site to provide data to genealogists. The State Archives is a member of the South Dakota Library Network and many of its resources are listed in the online catalog, available in many libraries in the state, and on the Internet (http://sdln.net). The catalog lists books, newspapers, serials, and some of the government and manuscript collections. Outreach Archives staff members offer lectures and slide presentations on research sources in the State Archives, preservation and conservation, and various aspects of South Dakota history. The Archives works closely with libraries, genealogical societies, and historical institutions and provides assistance to schools and school groups. Exhibits on recent acquisitions are featured periodically, and items from archives collections are included in the Museum gallery at the Cultural Heritage Center. Tours of archives facilities are provided to small groups with advance notice. Publications The State Archives publishes information about collections and activities through the State Historical Society’s quarterly journal, South Dakota History, and its newsletters, History Notes and Hoofprints. The State Archives also emails a quarterly e-newsletter for those interested in recent archives news. To sign up visit the SDARCNEWS listserv and "Join the List" The State Archives is funded through a combination of state funds, federal grants, and private donations. Most non-government collections are received as donations, and some donors provide financial support to cover the costs of processing and preserving the collections. Tax-deductible contributions to the State Archives are administered by the South Dakota Heritage Fund, a private not-for-profit foundation that supports the work of the State Historical Society. SD State Archives, 605-773-3804, fax 605-773-6041; email archref@state.sd.us |
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