Huron Public Library – South Dakota Collection Project

From Angela Bailey, Cataloger Librarian, Huron Public Library

Angela Bailey, Cataloger Librarian, Huron Public Library

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Huron Public Library building was closed to the public from March 19, 2020 thru September 8, 2020. It was during this time that the South Dakota Collection at the library was relabeled, reorganized, and metadata was added to item records for ease of access and usability.

It was a project that had been discussed, started, and stopped multiple times. Since it would take a large number of staff hours, it was always put at the end of my "to do" list.

South Dakota Collection

The South Dakota Collection is located in a separate room that is home to approximately 4,200 books about the local history of Huron, South Dakota, and Beadle County. Resources include books written by South Dakota authors, South Dakota government publications, local phone and city directories, city maps, high school and college yearbooks, and state guidebooks. The collection has over one hundred volumes of poetry and more than two hundred biographies. The most valuable part of the collection is the original genealogy research compiled by members of the community such as Gladys Pyle and Mildred McEwen Jones. As a whole, it is a collection of great value to historians searching for information on genealogy and local history.

Many of the items in this collection had MARC records, but the majority were just a place holder in the library system containing title and author. I took each book and began by scanning a copy of the cover to add to the record. I discovered early on that scanning the cover was faster than searching for cover images online. Scanning also helped when I couldn't find a cover for items published locally or prior to 1920 in the edition I needed. Many records had no subject headings or summaries, while other records contained incorrect information. I found a number of items that listed "South Africa" as a subject heading instead of "South Dakota." I spent hours typing summaries and descriptions of books that could not be obtained through copy cataloging.

Bailey with the South Dakota Collection

Call numbers were updated for each item as well. Many items in the collection were acquired before online library systems and computers. The format and procedure for labelling items has changed multiple times and the collection contained a number of different formats depending on when items were added.

At one time the South Dakota room had a portion of the collection that circulated. As a result, duplicate items were not shelved together making it hard for patrons to find items. Approximately 300 duplicate items were moved into the library's general circulating collection to make room for future acquisitions. Items that were deteriorating due to age and use were put into archive preservation boxes. After all the items were relabeled, the physical layout of the collection was changed to make the collection easier to use by patrons and staff.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have closed the doors to the Huron Public Library for a period of time in history. But I spent the summer of 2020 learning about the foundations of the community and the amazing history of South Dakota.

41 Volumes of South Dakota Historical Collections are now online

As the South Dakota State Historical Society celebrates its 120^th year, the South Dakota State Library has digitized all 41 volumes of the South Dakota Historical Collections. From 1902 to 1982, this series was published biennially by the Department of History (now the South Dakota State Historical Society) as part of its mission to collect, preserve, and make accessible the history of the state. All 41 volumes are now available in the Featured Collections of the South Dakota State Library’s Digital Collections.

These volumes cover a wide array of topics and are a valuable resource for students, teachers, and scholarly researchers. Six editors presided over the South Dakota Historical Collections during its run, including Doane Robinson, Will G. Robinson and Dayton Canaday. Their different editing styles and interests are evident throughout the volumes. Taken as a whole, the series represents an evolution in perspectives on the state’s history, heritage, and culture. In 1989 an index to the collections was compiled and published to aid researchers.

The South Dakota State Library serves as the state's depository for current and historical state agency publications, some of which go back to territorial days.

The South Dakota State Library's Digital Collections reflect the history and culture of South Dakota. Primarily of interest to librarians, researchers, and genealogists, the digital collections include newspaper articles, South Dakota library photographs, state government annual reports and research reports, South Dakota Codified Laws, Session Laws, House and Senate Journals, and more. Access the collections here: http://sdsdl-montage.auto-graphics.com/.