FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2007
Contact: Merl Paaverud or Gerald Newborg
(701) 328-2666
RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY FOR $5.7 MILLION STATE ARCHIVES
ADDITION TO NORTH DAKOTA HERITAGE CENTER SET FOR NOVEMBER 2
BISMARCK – What investment would you make to preserve and protect your heritage? Preserving the heritage of North Dakota – the unique documents, photographs, maps, and other treasures that constitute the state’s archives – will be more secure with the completion of the archives addition to the North Dakota Heritage Center. The $5.7 million project adds 30,000 square feet to the headquarters of the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND), effectively doubling the space available for the state archives.
“This addition is a vital component in preserving the history of our state,” said State Archivist Gerald Newborg.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating its completion will take place Friday, November 2, at 2:30 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center. The event is part of the activities during the 19th Annual Governor’s Conference on North Dakota History. This year’s conference theme is Lincoln Legacy: The Railroad.
“It’s not just more space,” Newborg emphasized. “It’s space that is designed to protect and preserve the most important documents the state holds. Bad storage conditions can guarantee that priceless records wouldn’t be here for another generation to use.”
The addition was funded through a $5.5 million bond from the 2005 Legislative Assembly, and a $200,000 grant from the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
“We deeply appreciate the strong support this expansion project received during the 2005 legislative session from our supporters throughout North Dakota, together with the leadership of the legislators and the vision of Governor Hoeven and our former governors,” said Merl Paaverud, director of the SHSND. “It shows once again that North Dakotans recognize the importance of investing in our history.” The state’s five former governors and their terms of office are William L. Guy (1961-73), Arthur A. Link (1973-81), Allen I. Olson (1981-84), George A. Sinner (1985-92); and Edward T. Schafer (1992-2000).
The state archives addition’s reinforced concrete construction provides security and floor load capacity to house the steady stream of incoming records.
“Square footage is only one measure,” said Newborg. “Because of the weight of paper and similar materials and the density of storage, the construction must be capable of safely holding tons of materials stored on compacted shelving that’s 10 feet high.”
Heat, humidity, and fluctuations in either or both, along with environmental contaminants, can dramatically affect the life of stored materials. Because of that, the facility has heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) that maintain uniform storage conditions, based on nationally recognized standards. The HVAC system is housed in the lowest level so that nothing in the system is above the collections, thereby eliminating a possible source of damage from drips or leaks.
The addition will permit several thousand shelf feet of records to be moved from current off-site storage to the North Dakota Heritage Center. In addition to questions of proper storage, the 10-mile round trip to access the off-site storage has long posed logistical problems for archives staff. Organizing and describing records – fundamental for researcher access – required moving records to the Heritage Center or staff time spent at a facility that lacked basic work space. Retrieving records for researchers also required advance notice.
“The state’s archives have a huge monetary value, as anyone who watches Antiques Road Show on public television knows,” said Newborg. “But more important is the value to present and future citizens of North Dakota and the nation. We can’t reconstruct or understand our past without these documents. This is the source for the study of history and governmental policy. This is the basis for understanding who we are.”
When the North Dakota Heritage Center opened in May 1981, it was intended to hold an additional 10 to 12 years’ accumulation of state records and other research materials. It was designed to accommodate an expansion to the south and east by the early 1990s. However, until the 2005 session, legislators had not allocated expansion funds. Instead, in the mid-1990s they approved funding to purchase additional storage space at an off-site location near Bismarck to handle the archival, artifact and archaeological overflow – in addition to another site at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park used by the agency since the late 1930s to house artifacts only, such as automobiles and other machinery.
“Having someone drive 10 miles round trip to retrieve materials is not efficient or economical,” said Newborg, who noted the off-site buildings do not have the climate controls needed for proper preservation.
The North Dakota Heritage Center’s interior currently measures 140,740 square feet. With the $5.7 million expansion, that area increases another 30,000 square feet. Annual visitation is about 100,000, with visitors from throughout the world and all 50 states. The Heritage Center is full of temporary and permanent exhibits that preserve and tell the story of life on the Northern Plains, from fossil life to prehistory to the present. Its unique museum store features original handcrafted items and a wide selection of books about North Dakota and Northern Plains history. It is one of two museums in North Dakota accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM); the other is the Plains Art Museum in Fargo. Of the nation’s nearly 16,000 museums, only 800 are currently accredited by the AAM. Admission is free. It is open year-round, closed only on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
For detailed information about the North Dakota Heritage Center, as well as agency programs and exhibits, contact the State Historical Society of North Dakota at 612 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND, 58505; call (701) 328-2666; visit its web site at www.nd.gov/hist or the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation website at www.statehistoricalfoundation.com.
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