SD State University Archives & Special Collections

South Dakota State University Archives & Special Collections contains the university archives, as well as material related to South Dakota history and life. These two general collection areas include manuscript and archival materials, books, serials, audiovisual materials, and photographs. We also house the Senator Thomas A. Daschle Congressional Papers and the Senator Thomas A. Daschle Congressional Research Study. Collections are accessible on the upper level of Hilton M. Briggs Library on the campus of South Dakota State University.

Identity area

Identifier

SDSU-Archives

Authorized form of name

SD State University Archives & Special Collections

Parallel form(s) of name

  • SDSU Archives & Special Collections

Other form(s) of name

    Type

    • University

    Contact area

    Christian, Michele Primary contact

    Type

    Address

    Street address

    Hilton M. Briggs Library Room 241 1300 North Campus Drive University Station Box 2115

    Locality

    Brookings

    Region

    South Dakota

    Country name

    United States

    Postal code

    57007

    Telephone

    605-688-5094

    Fax

    Email

    Note

    Description area

    History

    SDSU Archives & Special Collections is responsible for the accepting and processing of archival and manuscript materials. Other material may be accepted by SDSU Archives & Special Collections and will be processed as best suits each particular gift.

    Geographical and cultural context

    South Dakota State University Archives and Hilton M. Briggs Library Special Collections contain the University Archives, as well as material related to South Dakota history and life. These two general collection areas include manuscript and archival materials, books, serials, audiovisual materials, artifacts and photographs. Collections are accessible on the upper level of Hilton M. Briggs Library on the campus of South Dakota State University.

    Mandates/Sources of authority

    MISSION STATEMENT

    The University Archives and Special Collections (A&SC) unit supports the missions of South Dakota State University and the Hilton M. Briggs Library. The A&SC identifies, collects, preserves, and makes accessible materials of cultural importance and historical and administrative value to all researchers regardless of affiliation. These collections document the development of South Dakota State University and the surrounding community, and support the major research and educational subject areas of the University. The A&SC actively pursues opportunities for partnerships that strengthen services, collections, and facilities. Use of A&SC materials is encouraged through outreach efforts.

    Administrative structure

    Records management and collecting policies

    Special requests with variations to these procedures should be directed to the University Archivist.

    Buildings

    University Archives is located in Room 241 in the Hilton M. Briggs Library on the Campus of the South Dakota State University.

    Holdings

    South Dakota State University Archives & Special Collections contains the university archives, as well as material related to South Dakota history and life. These two general collection areas include manuscript and archival materials, books, serials, audiovisual materials, and photographs. We also house the Senator Thomas A. Daschle Congressional Papers and the Senator Thomas A. Daschle Congressional Research Study. Collections are accessible on the upper level of Hilton M. Briggs Library on the campus of South Dakota > State University.

    SENATOR THOMAS A. DASCHLE PAPERS

    Acquired in 2005, the Thomas A. Daschle Career Papers Collection consists of more than 2,000 linear feet of materials and over 0.5 Tb of digital objects. The collection includes correspondence and records, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes and other materials covering Daschle's professional life.

    UNIVERSITY RECORDS

    Records having permanent historical value to South Dakota State University, including administrative records, departmental and student group records, faculty papers, publications.

    MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS

    Papers, records, and published materials of South Dakota and alumni authors ; South Dakota and regional materials—including, but not limited to, the papers of organizations, local businesses, community figures, families, and especially material related to farming and its development in South Dakota.

    REGIONAL COLLECTIONS

    Historical material about the Brookings, SD area. The George & Evelyn Norby Collection makes up the majority of this collection and includes newspapers and photographs of local interest, telephone directories, and area business promotional materials.

    SOUTH DAKOTA COLLECTION

    The South Dakota Collection is permanently housed in the Archives Reading Room. These books cannot be checked out but may be accessed in the reading room. Books in the South Dakota Collection can be discovered by searching the Hilton M. Briggs Library catalog.

    RARE BOOKS & ARTIFACTS

    Some books and serials are housed in SDSU Archives. For the most part, these are items that, because of content, format, age, condition, or uniqueness are deemed too precious for the regular library collection. Books signed by significant figures may be housed in the Archives. Books determined to have significant monetary value are kept in the Archives. Some books that need special handling are also housed in the Archives. Books in the South Dakota Collection are collected under the guidelines of the Hilton M. Briggs Library South Dakota Collection collecting policy. Books may be identified by searching the regular library catalog.

    Some of the highlights of the book collection include the rare books donated by Vera Way Marghab, Windsor Straw and Holger Bach, as well as private press materials donated by Windsor Straw. Other materials include maps and atlases, of both South Dakota and elsewhere, and many printed items from the 18th and 19th centuries.

    Some artifacts and three-dimensional materials find their way into the collection, usually as part of a larger donation. SDSU Archives does not seek these materials out, but generally will retain those that are donated, particularly if they have significant value as a part of a collection or otherwise meet collection policy guidelines for other materials. Three-dimensional objects that do not meet these criteria will be handled in the same way as other materials deemed not suitable for the collection.

    PRAIRIE STRIDERS RUNNING CLUB LIBRARY

    Bob Bartling and several like-minded people founded the Prairie Striders Running Club in 1969 to promote running, fellowship, and health. Bob began collecting books and magazines related to running and track and field, and by 1978, the Prairie Striders Running Club Library was established. It includes 636 volumes of books, about 5,000 periodicals and newsletters, and has the results of 16 annual races.

    JIM KOCH AMATEUR WRESTLING COLLECTION

    The Jim Koch Amateur Wrestling Collection contains 31 wrestling books and 61 bound volumes of Amateur Wrestling News, the oldest and most respected wrestling publication in the country. The collection’s AWN issues date from January 1956 to the present. The monthly magazine features results at the high school, college, and world levels. Tournaments and major conferences are covered in detail.

    Finding aids, guides and publications

    Access area

    Opening times

    The University Archives is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 am. - 4:30 p.m. with the exception of state holidays. University Archives staff are not available during evening or weekend hours; please contact us to make an appointment if you wish to use our collections during those times.

    Access conditions and requirements

    Researchers are encouraged to call ahead to confirm the schedule or make an advance appointment to access archival material. Due to the size of some collection or because some collections are housed at off-site locations, we are unable to identify, locate, and retrieve requested materials on a walk-in basis. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.

    Accessibility

    DISABILITY ACCESS & SERVICES

    The main entrance to the library is accessible by wheelchair. An elevator in the lobby provides access to the Upper Level where the University Archives & Hilton M. Briggs Library Special Collections is located. If physical difficulty in accessing or using materials is encountered, staff will provide assistance as needed.

    PARKING

    When visiting campus, please be sure to get a visitor pass from Admissions (in the Admin building), Info Exchange (just inside the west door or the Union), or the University Police Department (on the corner of Medary and Harvey Dunn). These one-day passes allow you to park in the designated visitor spaces (see campus map) or in any space not marked Reserved.

    After 4 pm, parking lots become open to everyone, so if you're coming to campus for a late afternoon/evening event, don't worry about getting a pass beforehand. Just remember: You may not leave your car parked overnight.

    Services area

    Research services

    RESEARCHER SERVICES DURING COVID-19

    The SDSU Archives and Special Collections is now open by appointment for members of the SDSU Community. We ask that you call us at 605-688-5094 or email us at arcrefs@sdstate.edu to make the appointment. When the appointment is made you can consult with staff members about your research needs and procedural questions.

    We also provide remote consultations to anyone. If you would like to request a meeting through Zoom, you call us at 605-688-5094 or email us at arcrefs@sdstate.edu to make the appointment.

    DURING YOUR IN-SITE VISIT:

    • We take precautions to ensure that the archives is clean and safe for your visit.
    • When you visit we ask that you wash your hands prior to entering the archives and not use hand sanitizers that may cause damage to the archival materials.
    • Masks are not required, but are encouraged.
    • We will assign you a place to sit to ensure that it has been cleaned and is safe for use.

    RESEARCH SERVICES

    We provide a range of research service to on-site and remote researchers. For information about the collection or to make an appointment please contact us.

    Staff will help identify sources of information relevant to your interests but cannot undertake extensive research projects. In most cases, off-site research requests can only be answered if they are sufficiently specific, e.g., an individual book, a particular document, or the contents of a particular folder. When research is required to identify relevant material it will be conducted as staff time permits.

    Reproduction services

    DIGITIZATION REPRODUCTIONS

    The Archives offers a variety of duplicating services to its patrons and researchers, including digital copies of documents and photographs and facilitating the digitization of audio visual materials that may need to be sent to an offsite vendor. Our fees regarding this service can be found on the Please note that uses of duplicated materials from collections are #subject to copyright restrictions, and are attended by certain costs and policies.

    Many items from our collections have already been digitized and are available on the Digital Library of South Dakota. If you would like a digital reproduction of material you find on this site, please submit a request, noting either a description of the item, or providing a hyperlink to the item(s) in question.

    You may also request reproduction of material you have found at the Archives, but is not present in out Digital Collections.

    Charges for digital reproductions are described in our Reproduction Charges Schedule.

    Many Audio and Visual formats in the collections can also be duplicated. Copies of audiovisual material may have to be obtained through off-campus resources; rates for these services would be determined by that resource.

    DIGITAL CAMERA POLICY

    The Archives permits use of personal digital cameras in the Reading Room (but no scanners, tripods, or flash photography are permitted). See the staff in the reading room for more details.

    REPRODUCTIONS CHARGES

    [Charges](https://www.sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/reproduction-charges]

    Public areas

    REGISTRATION

    All reading room researchers must register once every twelve (12) months prior to being granted access to any collection. Registration includes:

    • Providing a driver's license or other valid form of photo identification.
    • Completing a registration form. All registration forms and information are confidential and are only viewed by staff; it will be kept in his or her researcher file record.
    • Registration forms will remain on file for return visits for twelve (12) months then shredded. Returning patrons within the twelve-month period will only be required to show photo identification and sign in and out of the reading room.

    If you have questions or would like to schedule a visit, please let us know.

    Ask Us!

    Control area

    Description identifier

    Institution identifier

    Rules and/or conventions used

    Status

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    Language(s)

      Script(s)

        Sources

        Maintenance notes

        Access points

        Access Points

        • Agriculture (Thematic area)
        • Education (Thematic area)
        • Genealogical (Thematic area)
        • Politics and Government (Thematic area)
        • Communication (Thematic area)
        • South Dakota (Geographic subregion)