The Norby Collection documents the history, development, and daily life of Brookings, South Dakota, and Brookings County, with limited coverage of South Dakota more broadly, from the late nineteenth century through the early twenty first century. Assembled by George and Evelyn Norby, the collection is organized into multiple series reflecting their sustained efforts to collect, compile, and preserve local historical documentation.

The collection includes extensive runs of the Brookings Register newspaper, providing long term coverage of local news, community events, politics, agriculture, business, and social life. Complementing the newspapers are compiled data files created by the Norbys that aggregate information drawn from newspapers and other local sources. These compiled records document city and county officials, elections, businesses, streets and addresses, homes and housing, churches, public services, cemeteries, schools, South Dakota State University buildings, and other aspects of municipal and community history.

Topical subject files form a substantial portion of the collection and include materials related to Brookings city and county government, organizations, churches, businesses, historic districts, education, South Dakota State University, named individuals, military service, railroads, public safety, cemeteries, and statewide topics. These files consist of clippings, publications, ephemera, maps, directories, reports, and reference materials and reflect both official activity and community life. Researchers are advised to consult both city and county subject groupings, as related material may appear in either.

The collection also includes a large body of directories, primarily telephone directories serving Brookings and surrounding rural areas, along with city directories, farm directories, regional directories, and campus directories for South Dakota State University. These directories document residents, businesses, institutions, and service areas over time. Ephemera within the collection includes business cards, envelopes, signs, calendars, bumper stickers, postcards, ribbons and badges, matchbooks, tokens, framed images, and other transient printed materials associated with local commerce, events, and organizations.

Materials related to the Norbys themselves document the acquisition, housing, processing, and public presentation of the collection, including South Dakota State University Archives records, Images of the Past program materials, and limited personal correspondence, photographs, and household items. Together, the series span approximately 1871 to 2006, with some undated material, and are arranged by series and subject to reflect the structure of the Norbys’ collecting activities.

The Compiled Data series of the Norby Collection consists of reference data compiled by George and Evelyn Norby and recorded into various databases. The material documents the city of Brookings with limited coverage of Brookings County and the state of South Dakota. The series includes compiled information on city and county officials, appointed officials, elections, mayors and commissioners, attorneys, governors, and public offices such as police, fire, sheriff, and post office. It also contains extensive data on streets, avenues, homes, apartments, mobile homes, building permits, businesses, churches, health care providers, newspapers, and civic services. Additional components include birth, death, and marriage data, obituary indexes, cemetery and church burial records, census information, city charters, historical summaries, business chronologies, National Register documentation, and records related to South Dakota State University buildings. Telephone books spanning the early twentieth century through the mid twentieth century are also included. Materials date primarily from 1871 to 2003 and are organized by subject across multiple boxes.

The Compiled Data series provides a reference resource documenting the administrative, geographic, social, and economic development of Brookings over more than a century. By aggregating information drawn from newspapers and other local sources, the series supports research in local history, genealogy, urban development, governance, and community studies. The data reflects sustained private documentation efforts that preserve contextual information not consistently available in official municipal records.

The Database series is composed of material compiled by George Norby documenting topics related to Brookings, South Dakota. The material includes information on local businesses, historic homes, churches, city and county government, and South Dakota State University.

As noted by George Norby, the information contained in these compiled databases was gathered from multiple sources and reflects the most accurate data available to him at the time of compilation. Sources used include the Brookings County Press, the Brookings Register, the Brookings County Sentinel, Brookings telephone and business directories, Brookings city publications, Brookings County election returns, Brookings County Commission minutes, and records from the Brookings County Register of Deeds office.

Although the compiled data is extensive, researchers are encouraged to verify information using more than one source when conducting research.

The Subject Files series of the Norby Collection consists of topical files compiled and maintained by George and Evelyn Norby documenting the history and development of Brookings, South Dakota, and Brookings County, with limited material relating to South Dakota and communities outside Brookings County. The series includes clippings, publications, reports, ephemera, maps, directories, and related reference material organized by subject. City focused files document municipal government and administration, elections and officials, utilities, public services, ordinances and city code revisions, planning and development, historic preservation activities, parks and recreation, transportation including the airport and railroads, public institutions such as the library, schools, and hospital, and community events and commemorations including centennial materials and local responses to the September 11 attacks. County focused files include commissioner proceedings, courthouse and jail records, officials, census and atlas materials, early residents, fairs and festivals, towns and townships, veterans materials, weather, welfare, and local newspapers and newspaper history.

The files also contain substantial documentation on local organizations and clubs, including fraternal, civic, genealogical, and women’s groups, and extensive church files for Brookings and surrounding communities. Business files include materials on banks, local and regional companies, advertising, retail and service businesses, and community commerce, along with files on the Brookings commercial and residential historic districts, National Register applications, walking tours, and documentation of specific blocks and buildings. Education files include area schools and district materials, reorganization documentation, newsletters, and school related ephemera. South Dakota State University files include campus buildings and inventories, institutional events and traditions, alumni, athletics, museums, tours, and campus landmarks. Additional topical files cover named individuals, military service and wars, state government and elections, maps and travel materials, and cemetery, burial, and obituary reference resources including burial registers, cemetery locations, and plot maps. Researchers are advised to consult both the Brookings City and Brookings County files, as related material may be found in either grouping.

The Subject Files provide a locally compiled documentation set supporting research on civic administration, community development, historic preservation, education, religious life, commerce, and social organizations in Brookings and Brookings County. The combination of municipal and county materials, together with organizational, church, business, cemetery, and South Dakota State University documentation, offers contextual sources for local history and genealogical research and helps trace changes in the built environment and community institutions over time.