What's New

The biggest news on our backlog elimination project was NHPRC's approval of a six-month extension which allows us to expand work--as and if necessary--through June 30, 2012. But let us assure you we will keep working until the grant funds are all spent, which will happen sometime between April and June.

The project extension gives us some room to achieve a few tactical benefits. First, we can gain back time that was lost to a late project start (mid-October 2010 rather than July) and to the three-week state shutdown this past July. Second, the extension will permit needed time to bring forward manuscript acquisitions from the "deep backlog" that we can process and catalog under the NHPRC project. Third, and as an added bonus, we can realize an important discovery and access objective by converting the Northern Pacific Railway finding aids into EAD. This project parallels analogous work already started for the finding aids to the Great Northern Railway Company. By having the flexibility to shift some staff onto private grant funding for a few months, we are able to dedicate attention to these very popular and rich collections.

We have already reached our goals for the numbers of new or revised MARC records and finding aids and we exceeded our goal during the last quarter for the number of accessions that have been arranged and described. A look at the accompanying chart proves that we continue to achieve remarkable productivity on the project, staying well on target with regard to the total cubic footage of processed and cataloged accessions.

With regard to our results, we emphasize that project staff have not achieved this level of productivity at the expense of quality. The finding aids that have been produced are of gemstone caliber, with many including digital objects and other enhancements. Other repositories performing MPLP (More Product Less Process) work have been satisfied to produce basic catalog records linked to rudimentary container lists (if that). We have raised the bar a notch or two above that, and are proud of the quality of our work in the face of high productivity expectations. Excellent performance, one and all!

New and Revised Finding Aids - December 2011

Name/Abstract	File No.
Robert W. Anderson: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society	00689
Correspondence, flight log, certificates, photographs, and related materials of a naval aviation ordnanceman from Minneapolis who served in the Pacific Theater aboard the U.S.S. Franklin during World War II.
Beltrami County: Auditor An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00349
Records documenting a wide variety of the duties and activities of the auditor.
James C. Christie and family: An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society	P1281
Correspondence, diaries, writings, clippings, printed matter, and other papers documenting in rich detail several generations of the James Christie family of Dodge County, Wisconsin; Rapidan Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota; and Stevens County, Washington. Includes digital content.
Thomas and Carmelite Christie and family: An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society	P1282
Correspondence, diaries, and other papers documenting the lives of a family of Protestant missionaries from Minnesota serving in the Turkish cities of Marash and Tarsus. Includes digital content.
Bertin C. Gamble: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society	00479
Personal office files documenting the business affairs of the co-founder of Gamble-Skogmo, Incorporated, a retailing and financing conglomerate based in Minneapolis and doing business in the United States and Canada.
Loris Sofia Gregory: An Inventory of Her Flour and Feed Bag Research Files at the Minnesota Historical Society	00994
Background research files, correspondence, fabric pattern samples, surveys, and other material related to private and public feed, flour, and dress print bag collections; bag manufacturing and textile milling companies; as well as fabric and sewing pattern companies compiled for the published article: Connolly, Loris. "Recycling feed sacks and flour bags: thrifty housewives or marketing success story?" Dress, Volume 19 (1992): 17-36.
Jefferson Center (Minneapolis, Minn.): An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	00978
Administrative records and Citizen Jury recordings of the Jefferson Center, a non-partisan, non-profit political reform organization. Administrative records include board of directors and executive committee meeting minutes, financial files, marketing materials, and miscellaneous files. Citizens Jury series include transcripts and administrative materials but are primarily video recordings from several projects, especially America's Tough Choices: The U.S. Federal Budget Citizens Jury (1993), the Minnesota Gubernatorial Election Citizens Jury (1990), and the Tim Penny Congressional Citizens Jury (1994). Correspondence and related papers from an Internal Revenue Service case regarding the Jefferson Center's status as a 501(c)(3) organization are also included.
Kiene family: An Inventory of Their Business Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	00976
Articles of incorporation, bylaws, minutes, correspondence, subject files, financial and other business records of Kiene Farms and several related companies, including Kennedy Trading Company, Prairie Farms, Inc., Fairway Foods Inc., Kittson County Implement Co. Sterling Store, and Home Furnishing Company, owned by Frank Kiene, his son Ell, and the Kiene family. The records include accounts, land and mortgage documents, crop data, tax returns, inventories, stock certificates, contracts, financial statements, ledgers, journals, and estate papers.
Legislature: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records of the Legislature at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00478
A variety of bills, notes, petitions, messages, and other documents created by or submitted to the legislature. Most are from the 1850s and 1860s, and many pertain to the first state legislature of 1858. They have not been correlated with bill files or other more structured records. Includes digital content.
Metropolitan Council: An Inventory of Its Minutes and Agenda Packets at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00477
Minutes, agendas, correspondence, reports, work plans, resolutions, and related papers. Some of the minutes in the agenda packets are ribbon copies, but the majority are photocopies, signed and certified by the council president.
Minnesota Fair Housing Center: An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	00997
Minutes, administrative records, and publications of a Twin Cities-based nonprofit organization, incorporated in 1992, that promoted compliance with fair housing laws through research, education and advocacy. Lawrence A. Winans served as the last executive director of the organization, which was dissolved about 2005.
Minnesota Territorial Archives: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00412
Autographs of the territorial officers, congressional delegate, and members of the second legislative assembly (February 26, 1851) and the signers of the Democratic and Republican versions of the state constitution (1857). Also five 1857 statehood documents that were exhibited at the 1957 Minnesota State Fair. Includes digital content.
Minnesota Territorial Archives: Territorial House of Representatives: An Inventory of Its Maps at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00488
Two maps of the state of Minnesota compiled for the House of Representatives pursuant to a resolution adopted by the House in the 1857-1858 session. Labeled Draft of the State Legislature, 1857-1858, and Official, 1858, the maps were done by Holmes, Payte & Buechner, St. Paul, from U. S. surveys and other reliable sources. Although the maps essentially duplicate each other, each has unique annotations.
Gene Ritchie Monahan: An Inventory of Her Family Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society	00984
Correspondence and related papers of Gene Ritchie Monahan, her husband George Monahan, and their family. The Monahans were descendants of the James Christie family through George's grandmother Sarah Christie Stevens and were friends of conservationist Ernest C. Oberholtzer. The bulk of the collections is family correspondence. Smaller portions include letters from Vietnam written by George's brother Robert Hugh Monahan that were sent to the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Opthalmology and papers regarding Ernest Oberholtzer's estate, Mallard Island, and the Oberholtzer Foundation.
Planning Agency: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00411
Reports, newsletters, and miscellaneous print and near-print items of or about the Planning Agency.
Public Safety Department: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00410
Reports, newsletters, and miscellaneous print and near-print items of or about the Public Safety Department.
Karl F. Rolvaag: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society	00996
Correspondence, political files, subject files, personal files, news clippings, print materials, and sound and visual materials of Karl F. Rolvaag, son of Minnesota author Ole Edvart Rolvaag, chairman of the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (1950-1954), Minnesota lieutenant governor (1955-1962), Minnesota governor (1963-1967), U.S. ambassador to Iceland (1967-1969), and member of the Minnesota Public Service Commission (1973-1978).
Secretary of State: An Inventory of Its Session Laws at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00487
Acts of the Minnesota Legislature as passed in each year's legislative session. Laws of a permanent nature are subsequently incorporated in the Minnesota Statutes that are coded laws. The Laws of Minnesota also include uncoded laws, including appropriations, proposed constitutional amendments, local laws, and effective date sections.
St. Cloud State Reformatory: An Inventory of Its Subject Files at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00426
These files include information about the Annex for Defective Delinquents; the Youth Conservation Commission; Reformatory-operated prison camps at East Grand Forks and at Moose Lake (Minn.); the institution's automobile license plate manufacturing operation; and the inmates' sponsorship of a foster child in Greece. There are files pertaining to Reformatory educational programs and staff, and to vocational training and prison industries; a 1953 research paper exploring the treatment of Black inmates by Reformatory staff; and information about investigations into drug trafficking and the introduction of other contraband at the institution, and into irregularities and misconduct by guards and other staff. Also photographs documenting education, medical examinations, religion, and orientation.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Annual and Biennial Reports at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00485
Reports documenting the activities and accomplishments of the prison.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Employee Pay Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00424
Information may include employee name, job history, pay rate, days and hours worked, reasons for absence, employee signature, and board allowance.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Inmate Intake Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00421
The volumes include inmate register number, date received, sentence, county, and crime. If the inmate was no longer in the prison, the name is crossed off with a date and reason (ie., paroled, pardoned, deceased...). These books were updated and new volumes started every 3-7 years. When a new volume was started it appears the inmates who were still in the prison (as listed in the previous book) were entered first, followed by new inmates.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Inmate Medical Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00419
Treatment records, consisting of doctor's orders (1939-1954) and sick call records (1974-1986), and a narcotics record (1937-1955); inmate casualty reports submitted by the warden to the State Board of Control (1939-1950); and suicide and homicide report (1971-1985).
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Inmate Time Books/Payroll Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00423
Documenting prisoners' jobs and duties in the prison; the records may include inmate name, inmate number, job/duties, dates worked, and amount paid. The records are incomplete.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Institution Farm Annual Reports and Inventories at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00413
Annual statistical reports for 1935 through 1974 (1956-1958 are missing), giving annual totals of charges and credits and monthly livestock, financial, and activity reports. Also farm inventories (1926-1945, 1957).
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Kiley (William) Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00420
Records kept by William (Bill) Kiley, an employee of the prison. It is known that he held the position of sergeant and possibly others. His nickname was S.O.B. (Sunny Old Bill).
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Financial Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00414
Records documenting a variety of financial transactions of the prison.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00418
Variety of records documenting the administration of and activities of the prison.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Population Reports at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00417
Monthly statistical summaries of prison population, listing number of inmates received, paroled, discharged, and currently in prison. Later reports give more detailed figures.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Punishment Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00422
Daily logs of punishment given inmates for violating prison rules. The volumes list name of inmate and officer involved, register (inmate) number, violation, punishment, and general remarks. Also monthly punishment and grade change reports (February 1939-January 1951) submitted by the warden to the State Board of Control.
Stillwater State Prison: An Inventory of Its Store Records at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00425
Accounts documenting receipts and disbursements of food, clothing, dry goods, and other supplies.
Stillwater State Prison: Prison Industries: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records of Prison Industries at the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00415
Stillwater State Prison: Prison Industries: An Inventory of Its Photographs the Minnesota Historical Society	gr00416
Photographs of prison buildings and equipment, including the twine factory and storage, paint shop, bakery, barber shop, school, power plant, and foundry. Many include prisoners and prison employees.

New and Revised Catalog Records - December 2011