BROOKINGS (10-28-26) — South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections is leading a new statewide effort to make South Dakota’s historical collections easier to find and explore.
The one-year planning project, “Discovering South Dakota’s Archival Landscape: Documenting the Lives of South Dakotans,” will bring together libraries, museums, archives and other organizations to explore the creation of a searchable statewide resource connecting archival collections held across South Dakota. The project was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
“South Dakota has an incredible wealth of historical materials. They are held by organizations of all sizes across the state but can be difficult for people to find,” said Michele Christian, university archives and special collections librarian at SDSU. “This project gives us the opportunity to begin connecting those collections so more people can discover the stories they contain.”
Working with the South Dakota State Archives and other statewide partners, SDSU Archives and Special Collections will develop a framework for bringing information about these collections together in one searchable resource. The project will recommend standards for describing collections, explore how the system could be managed and sustained, and create a roadmap for implementation.
Helping lead that outreach will be Eli Fresquez, who has joined SDSU Archives and Special Collections as project coordinator for the Institute of Museum and Library Services planning grant initiative.
Fresquez returns to SDSU after serving last summer as a museum studies fellow, working with the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum and SDSU Archives and Special Collections. She earned her master’s degree in public history and museum studies from the University of Colorado Denver in May.
Fresquez said the professional connections she made during her fellowship helped bring her back to Brookings and SDSU, where she will work with museums, libraries and archives throughout the state.
“I am excited to be here and working on this project that will help bring forward more of the rich history South Dakota has to offer,” Fresquez said. “I’m thankful for the connections I made here that have given me the opportunity to return to Brookings and do meaningful outreach with museums, libraries and archives across the state.”
“This is very much a collaborative effort,” Christian said. “We want to work with repositories across South Dakota to develop an approach that recognizes their different needs and resources while making their collections more discoverable.
“Every community has stories worth preserving and sharing,” Christian continued. “By making these collections easier to discover, we can help researchers, families and communities connect with South Dakota’s history in ways that haven’t always been possible.”
The resulting framework could also serve as a model for other rural and decentralized states seeking to improve access to their historical collections.
If you or your organization have archival materials that help tell South Dakota’s story, please contact Eli Fresquez at eli.fresquez@sdstate.edu or 605-688-5576 to learn more about this project.
About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from seven different colleges representing more than 230 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 41 master’s degree programs, 19 Ph.D. and two professional programs.
The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state. SDSU’s research expenditures for the 2026 fiscal year were more than $86 million. SDSU has a Doctoral University: High Research Activity designation on The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
For more information: SDSU News • www.sdstate.edu
— From SDSU University Marketing and Communications
