Gifts to South Dakota Germans from Russia Cultural Center contribute to...
The South Dakota Germans from Russia Cultural Center has made great progress since opening in October of 2017. It is currently home to a permanent exhibit that outlines the story of the Germans from Russia using artifacts, images, documents, and oral history interviews. The research collection continues to grow with regular additions of manuscript and published materials. The exhibit gallery has been home to temporary exhibits and events.
Rather than linger on past successes, the hope is to build for future stability. The South Dakota Germans from Russia Cultural Center faces both challenges and great opportunities.
- Collection growth has been dramatic post-Covid. Recent new collections include genealogies, textile items, audio and video files, and artifacts. We are extremely thankful for these donors trusting their materials to the Center, but all donations come with commitments. All materials must be inventoried, processed, and in some cases digitized for online use.
- Our oral history project has proven very successful with approximately 70 interviews conducted, transcribed, and available to researchers. There are many more opportunities for interviews, and many are quite time sensitive. Current staffing levels can make the process of conducting interviews across South Dakota less responsive than is required.
- Opportunities for presentations at conferences and to other community groups have proven difficult to schedule due to commitments of staff members.
The common factor in these issues is the need for additional staff members. To date the SD Germans from Russia Cultural Center has been manned by one person, and they are tasked with other responsibilities in the library as well. Sometimes Germans from Russia activities have to be delayed or postponed due to other responsibilities. Stable, long-term funding is the key to success in the future of the Center.
