Anderson attends Western Archives Institute

Dr. Douglas Anderson, professor of history, attended the Western Archives Institute at San Diego State University June 15 to 27.

The institute is an intensive program providing integrated instruction in basic archival practices to individuals with a variety of backgrounds. The program features site visits to historical records repositories and a diverse curriculum that includes history and development of the profession, theory and terminology, records management, appraisal, manuscripts acquisition, archives and the law, photographs, preservation administration, and managing archival programs and institutions.

Anderson attended the institute to be able to better fulfill his duties as project archivist for the Historical Resources Development Program (HRDP) grant Northwestern received in 2006 from the State Historical Society of Iowa. The grant provides funds for aiding in translating, cataloging and digitizing college historical records housed in the archives of Ramaker Library.

The project involves cataloging and digitizing records from the 1850s to the 1930s, which include items related to the founding of Northwestern, historical photographs, and letters and documents from families that settled northwest Iowa in the late 19th century. The grant also helps in translating some of the records from Dutch to English.