South dakota state university archives and special collections will plan to design a replicable statewide archival discovery framework

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded South Dakota State University $272,112 on September 1, 2026, under the National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) to plan and design a replicable statewide archival discovery framework.

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections will lead the initiative in consultation with the South Dakota State Archives and other statewide stakeholders to develop a scalable model for rural, decentralized states and regions. The project will produce a publicly available planning report presenting a prototype framework for a statewide archival discovery clearinghouse, recommended collection-level descriptive standards, a proposed governance model, and an implementation roadmap. The intended outcomes are designed for reuse by other rural and decentralized states seeking to improve archival discoverability and ensure that records preserved in rural archives become discoverable, accessible, and integrated into the shared American experience.

Work will be performed in Brookings, South Dakota. The period of performance runs through August 31, 2027.

This project will provide a scalable model for other rural, decentralized states and regions. The goal is to ensure that the unique records preserved in rural archives are discoverable, accessible, and finally integrated into the shared american experience. South dakota state university archives and special collections will lead the initiative in consultation with the south dakota state archives and other statewide stakeholders. Intended results include a publicly available planning report that will present a prototype framework for a statewide archival discovery clearinghouse, recommended collection-level descriptive standards, a proposed governance model, and an implementation roadmap. The project will be designed for reuse by other rural and decentralized states seeking scalable approaches to improving archival discovery.