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| Map of Minidoka Relocation Center in Hunt, Idaho. Mildred Pieters Papers, Special Collections and Archives. |
On the second floor of the library you’ll find exhibit cases that currently feature memorabilia
celebrating Boise State’s 80th anniversary. Behind those windows are hundreds of boxes and
cabinets full of memorabilia, papers, diaries, publications, letters, photographs, scrapbooks, oral
histories, and other unique items that document the university’s history as well as the history of
Boise and Southwest Idaho.
So how do those materials end up in Special Collections and Archives? The University Archives
is the repository for university publications and the official records of the President, Faculty
Senate, ASBSU, administrative offices, and academic departments. Materials include the student
newspaper, university catalogs, budgets, yearbooks, photographs, audio and video, books,
posters, and other ephemera. There are many departments on campus who automatically donate
material to the University Archives but we also actively ask people for items as well.
The collections about Boise and Idaho are different. Most often, I receive a call or email from
someone asking if we are interested. There are a variety of reasons why people contact me:
an organization is moving an office and no longer has room; an individual is cleaning out a
basement or attic; or perhaps a family member passed away and left material behind. I often visit
homes and offices to look at the collections and see if they are what we would like.
Our goal is to collect material that documents history and provides a resource for students,
faculty, genealogists, documentary filmmakers, journalists, authors, the community, and anyone
interested in research. We want to have material that will be used!
Recent acquisitions:
Political buttons
Posters of Cecil Andrus
Record albums of band concerts from the Southern Idaho Conference, Boise, and Ada County
Articles about Japanese internment camps
A manuscript and screenplay by Idaho author Michael Corrigan
Materials from the Nordic Voice Cross-Country Ski Association
Records of the Episcopal Diocese
Diaries from 1912-1984 of a Boise woman
Student papers about Latinos in Idaho
Search our collections: http://nwda-db.orbiscascade.org/nwda-search/advanced.aspx
Search select photographs: http://digital.boisestate.edu/
Search University Documents: http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/uni_docs/
Cheryl Oestreicher, PhD
Head, Special Collections and Archives/Assistant Professor