Last week I went to visit the South Dakota Oral History Project archives in Vermillion, South Dakota. The trip was great! I was able to visit long-time friends, and see many changes to little old Vermillion. Some highlights: there is a Super Wal-Mart; the USD student center has been torn down; and Chae’s has changed ownership. Also, every visit I am reminded of the lush scenery, and quaintness of Vermillion. There are also very beautiful gardens on the university campus.
Getting back to the archives, they are divided into South Dakota, and American Indian research projects. The American Indian Research Project archive contains interviews in English and Native American languages from the region, but I believe the archive is mostly in English. The materials available for research consist of cassette tapes, some paper transcripts, and an out-of-date catalog. There are digital transcripts, but they are currently unavailable until a larger digitization project is completed.
The archives are also undergoing many changes. According to a conversation with interim director Kurt Hackemer, the focus of the project will change from storage-only, to actively pursuing research. This will probably be good for the archives which show signs of disrepair (such as an out-of-date catalog). In addition to changing focus, the Oral History Project is digitizing their archives. The digitization process will take some time (2+ years) before being made available to the public.
Filed under: Lakota text search
