GENERAL

Overview
In the course of daily life individuals and organizations record information about their personal, social and business activities. These sources of history exist today in letters, diaries, minutes, financial and legal documents, photographs, sound recordings and publications. The Institute for Regional Studies is a place where these voices from our past are used and valued by the present and future generations.

Since its founding in 1950, the Institute's goal has been to actively develop an archival collection of primary and secondary sources that have lasting value. Developing the collection has been accomplished only through the generosity of those individuals and organizations that have realized the value of such historical documents in their possession and entrusted them to the archives of the Institute where they would be preserved properly and could be used and enjoyed by others.

Mission
In fostering understanding of regional life through research, the mission of the Institute for Regional Studies Archives is to identify, collect and preserve the historical resources of the region that have lasting value, and to promote the use of these materials by the North Dakota State University community, scholars and the public. Its goal is to provide a research experience for students in the use of primary resources, to advance scholarship and to further the instructional, research and public service missions of the university.

Organization Structure
The administrative structure of the Institute for Regional Studies today includes the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Director of Libraries as co-directors. The archives staff is responsible to the library director. The director of the Center for Social Research and the publications staff, composed of an acquisitions editor and a production editor, are responsible to the dean. Together the University Archives and the Institute archives constitute a department of the NDSU Libraries. Current archives staff is John E. Bye, archivist and head; Michael Robinson, archivist; and John Hallberg, archives associate.

Programs Supported

Research The archival collections of the Institute first and foremost support an active research program. The research clientele represents a broad spectrum of on- and off-campus constituencies, as outlined in the Collection Use section. The archives does not collect exhaustively in any specific area or areas, rather, it attempts to collect in a broad spectrum of subject areas and formats related to North Dakota, and to a much lesser extent the Northern Great Plains.

Exhibits The development of exhibits based upon Institute archival collections currently is of minor importance. This is due primarily to the lack of exhibit area and staffing.

Outreach The archives staff does promote a modest outreach program. Outreach activities include presentations to classes and off-campus groups, speaking at workshops and other public events regarding the holdings of the archives, and offering tours.

Publications The publishing program of the Institute is administered through co-director, the dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Manuscripts for publication have come exclusively from outside sources rather than the archives, although the archival collections have been used by authors in their research.

Priorities and Limitations

Strengths The present strengths of the Institute's collections, by subject, include the agricultural development of the state, particularly the bonanza farming era; the pioneer period, especially in personal reminiscences and papers; the Nonpartisan League; and women of North Dakota as seen in their varied organizations. Other strengths include the lives and works of North Dakota literary figures; our many ethnic groups particularly the Germans from Russia and the Norwegians; and the development of an urban society through City of Fargo records. A recent collecting area is Cass County court records. By format, photographs constitute one of the Institute's most important and most heavily used resources. The North Dakota publications collection attempts to be as comprehensive as possible. Genealogical collections are an important component of the Institute's collecting program. This is reflected in the collecting of microforms, North Dakota publications and Cass County records.

Collecting levels Present collecting levels, by record type, are delineated in the Collection Policy Statements section of this document. The archives over-all goal is to collect broadly regarding North Dakota, rather than comprehensively in only a few areas.

Weaknesses Political papers, Native American documents and audio-visual materials are three areas the Institute has done limited collecting. These areas have historically been more part of the collecting focus of the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the University of North Dakota. Although there is no formal collecting agreement between the three archives, each has respected the historical collecting areas of the others. Also, the Institute photograph collection has substantial gaps in images from the second half of the twentieth century. Insurance As a part of North Dakota State University, the collections of the Institute are covered under the insurance provisions of the university. Dissolution Although highly unlikely, should the archives program of the Institute for Regional Studies be dissolved, provisions for the transfer of its collections have been made. " The North Dakota historical book collection would be integrated into the NDSU Libraries collection. " North Dakota governmental records (Cass County, City of Fargo, and other political subdivisions, etc.) would be turned over to the North Dakota State Archives located at the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The State Archives already holds final legal title to all such records. " Manuscript collections, and all rights held by the Institute, would be offered to the State Historical Society of North Dakota or the University of North Dakota Chester Fritz Library Department of Special Collections, as appropriate. " Photograph collections, along with all rights held by the Institute, would be transferred to the State Historical Society of North Dakota.