<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Reading Room @ USD]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Reading Room @ USD]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 02:09:38 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://readingroom.usd.edu/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Frank H. Blair diaries]]></title><description><![CDATA[These handwritten diaries document Blair’s senior year (1890-1891) at the University of South Dakota and are set mainly in Vermillion and Elk Point, South Dakota. The collection also includes one copy of the Volante from June 15, 1891. This Volante issue covers a tumultuous time at the University and has one article by Blair.]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/frank-h-blair-diaries</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6115f66f3edb48b2018425</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><category><![CDATA[University of South Dakota]]></category><category><![CDATA[Diaries and journals]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:44:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3195ff_f6526ce20c284912a4884a03946c1f63~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_569,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[University of South Dakota (USD) Archives and Special Collections: The Institute of American Indian Studies (IAIS) Photograph Collection]]></title><description><![CDATA[This blog presents information about Institute of American Indian Studies Photograph Collection . Photographs range from the late 1880s to 2004 associated with IAIS directors, activities and Native American leaders.]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/university-of-south-dakota-usd-archives-and-special-collections-the-institute-of-american-indian</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a57cc0d8a059921e603572d</guid><category><![CDATA[Digital Library of South Dakota]]></category><category><![CDATA[New Finding Aids]]></category><category><![CDATA[Richardson Collection]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:12:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/223e2a_654a19e59bd34714934edc7ee06e3acc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_700,h_483,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>evelynschlenker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding Rabbit: What One Freedman’s Story Reveals About Scholarly Editing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Archives and special collections have long connected users with the raw materials of our history. Researchers visiting our reading rooms encounter the past one page, photograph, and reel at a time. With collections so important to our cultural heritage, history, and future, we’ve been asking: How can university libraries expand access to these materials, help users understand them, and prepare the next generation of scholars and professionals? When the University of South Dakota Libraries...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/finding-rabbit-what-one-freedman-s-story-reveals-about-scholarly-editing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a46943c1552bc17797f9d85</guid><category><![CDATA[Digital Humanities]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:58:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/324944_3e7a9be5d6df4fe095696c97f26da700~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_936,h_644,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Lindsey R. Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Beyond the Reading Room: Pathways from Classrooms to Careers]]></title><description><![CDATA[A university archival reading room evokes a familiar atmosphere: a quiet space filled with the soft sound of old papers rustling as a researcher combs through a treasured collection. The faint scent of aging paper and vanillin drifts through the air as documents are gently turned. Nearby, rows of carefully arranged archival boxes sit on carts, each holding the promise of discovery.  Nearby, archivists are training interns in archival processing, and an emeritus professor is authoring a blog...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/beyond-the-reading-room-pathways-from-classrooms-to-careers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a468f85316fbd62aff75f26</guid><category><![CDATA[Digital Humanities]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:36:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/324944_196d2afa6f424011b3a63b248216a7a1~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Lindsey R. Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Happy Birthday, America!]]></title><description><![CDATA[For the 250th birthday celebration of the United States of America, we are resharing this wonderful 2014 blog post by Archives and Special Collections' employee Abigail Proehl about our music book collection: American History in the Mahoney Music Collection This week we celebrate the birth of our nation, with this Friday marking the 238th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Throughout those two centuries, music has played a key role in shaping our American culture, and the Mahoney...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/happy-birthday-america-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fed5394e3f298e08b2a</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:57:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_feb0999528c04564adeb4a2cbf218c37~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_228,h_299,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Farm Ownership Atlas of Clay County South Dakota, 1937]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Archives and Special Collections has a 1937 atlas by the Clay County Planning Board. It depicts the county after the stock market crash of 1929 and during the Great Depression. The maps show parcels of land owned by private individuals, the Federal Land Bank, other banks, insurance companies, land associations, etc. "The Clay County Farm Ownership Atlas was sponsored by the Clay County Planning Board. The work of securing the data, drafting, blue printing, and all clerical work was done...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/farm-ownership-atlas-of-clay-county-south-dakota-1937</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fed5394e3f298e08b29</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 18:49:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_3df31c19f7364c6d89ebdcbee8e4daf5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_500,h_281,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bill Book from the First Session, Legislative Assembly, South Dakota, 1890]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Archives and Special Collections has a compilation (i.e. bill book) of South Dakota Legislature House Bills from 1890. D. M. Inman’s signature is on the first page. South Dakota became a state in 1889, and the state's first session of the legislative assembly met in 1890. Darwin M. Inman (1838-1913) was a businessman, politician and educator from Vermillion. He served as a representative from Clay County to Dakota Territory and South Dakota Legislature in 1877-1878, 1881-1884, and...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/bill-book-from-the-first-session-legislative-assembly-south-dakota-1890</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fed5394e3f298e08b28</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 01:02:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_e56ea72a233d4151b2f67f7254741473~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_499,h_824,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The theme of this year's National Library Week is "Find Your Joy."]]></title><description><![CDATA[I find my joy browsing the library stacks. This month, I looked for books with fore-edge printing and fore-edge painting. These are methods of applying images to the edges of book pages. Sometimes the image is visible when the book is closed, and sometimes the image is only visible when the pages are fanned. Fore-edge is the edge of a book opposite the spine or the bound edge. I found fore-edge printing on a few art books and science fiction books in the I.D. Weeks Library, but I have not...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/the-theme-of-this-year-s-national-library-week-is-find-your-joy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343feb5394e3f298e08b14</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:19:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_3ec2d9828d5145e1bbc62d7aaa5550ca~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_499,h_281,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Happy National Library Week April 19-25, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[A library book that is 50+ years overdue is a common trope in books and movies. Though it is not common here, the library recently (and happily) received an overdue book that was checked out for 56 years. This image of the check-out slip for the overdue book shows that it was checked out in 1970. Guinness world record for the most years that a returned library book had been overdue is 288 years.]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/happy-national-library-week-april-19-25-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343feb5394e3f298e08b11</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:30:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_89f5f317634a467f98e703fcde925fe5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_500,h_281,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[South Dakota Centennial Celebration: 1889-1989]]></title><description><![CDATA[In an article published in South Dakota History on December 27, 1989, Governor George S. Mickelson reflected on the first hundred years of South Dakota as a State. Governor Mickelson remarked that President Benjamin Harrison signed proclamations in 1889 forming four states: South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington.  To commemorate the 100th birthday of South Dakota, the South Dakota Centennial Commission created a vision for grass roots, volunteer-directed groups of people...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/south-dakota-centennial-celebration-1889-1989</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fed5394e3f298e08b2b</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><category><![CDATA[Displays/Exhibitions]]></category><category><![CDATA[Photographs]]></category><category><![CDATA[South Dakota History]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:15:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_773375594d8c4725870109fa0619917e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_734,h_553,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>evelynschlenker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pages from a first edition of the King James Bible were donated to the University in 1973.]]></title><description><![CDATA["Seven leaves of the first edition of the King James Bible which was published in 1611 and is the most famous of Bibles in the English language, have been given to the University by Alfred A. Frantz, ’26-’27 of New York City. The leaves comprise the book of Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher and the Song of Solomon both from the Old Testament. The individual pages are 11 inches by 16 inches and are printed in two columns, each wider than two columns of newspaper print. Their paper is still in...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/pages-from-a-first-edition-of-the-king-james-bible-were-donated-to-the-university-in-1973</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343feb5394e3f298e08b0f</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 19:40:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_387d8ebd05384675912b8c657328e64d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_500,h_752,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vermillion and Vicinity: A view from 1901]]></title><description><![CDATA[Vermillion and vicinity - RD12124 - USD - Richardson Collection - Digital Library of South Dakota (DLSD) In late March to early April of 1881, catastrophe struck Vermillion, Dakota Territory then located on a peninsula between the Vermillion and Missouri Rivers. Large ice floes and heavy snow melts destroyed three-quarters of the city. In addition, the flood caused the Missouri River and Vermillion River to change their courses dramatically. Vermillion was no longer a river town. City leaders...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/vermillion-and-vicinity-a-view-from-1901</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fed5394e3f298e08b27</guid><category><![CDATA[Clay County History]]></category><category><![CDATA[Vermillion SD]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:23:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_183d9c9b7b75452d8e76356889b0d2c2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_744,h_497,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>evelynschlenker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diary entry for this day 135 years ago]]></title><description><![CDATA[Frank Blair kept this diary while he was a student at the University of Dakota (later called the University of South Dakota) from 1887 to 1891.]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/diary-entry-for-this-day-135-years-ago</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fed5394e3f298e08b24</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><category><![CDATA[Diaries and journals]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:26:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_9d060ec539f44201ba6f2dc67baa00b2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_500,h_637,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Finding Aids at the Archives and Special Collections 2025]]></title><description><![CDATA[Finding aids finished during 2025: Shane Balkowitsch Ambrotypes Robert Blachnik photographs Rex Butler Collection of Henry and Frank H. Butler photographs Lea Rosson DeLong papers on Wilber M. Stilwell Dephane Hammond papers Nikki Heidepriem collection on Edith and Margaret Reeves Gilbert Monell Hitchcock papers Richard Holm notebook Arthur Leslie Keith papers Henry Langford Loucks papers Albert J. Maag papers Department of Psychology Richardson Phonograph collection Gretchen Gall Shoemaker...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/new-finding-aids-at-the-archives-and-special-collections-2025</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fed5394e3f298e08b2c</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 23:05:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_69f98dba6c004cd9a618a75592873386~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_487,h_274,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bronze Bust of Governor Peter Norbeck at the University of South Dakota]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is an image of Dr. Karl Wegner and Dean John Day flanking a bronze bust of Governor Peter Norbeck. The bust was part of the USD Art Collection and is located in Old Main, room 118. ]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/the-bronze-bust-of-governor-peter-norbeck-at-the-university-of-south-dakota</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343feb5394e3f298e08b13</guid><category><![CDATA[Chilson Collection]]></category><category><![CDATA[University of South Dakota]]></category><category><![CDATA[Photographs]]></category><category><![CDATA[South Dakota History]]></category><category><![CDATA[USD Photograph Collection]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:06:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_f67ec0ab059f4481bb92f9e4d47cdd59~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_615,h_622,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>evelynschlenker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Archives and Special Collections recently received copies of pen and ink drawings of USD campus buildings done by Adrian W. Krier in 1931.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The drawings show Old Main, East Hall, Law Building (currently the Arts &#38; Sciences Building), Library (currently the National Music Museum), New Armory (currently the Al Neuharth Media Center), Old Armory (currently the Belbas Center), and Slagel Auditorium (currently the Aalfs Auditorium). Included in this post is a drawing of the Old Armory. Call number […]]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/the-archives-and-special-collections-recently-received-copies-of-pen-and-ink-drawings-of-usd-campus</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6978e7e8c81bade1ddc118ad</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:23:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_6ebc7e17cb4d47d1b307b727d23c92f1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_500,h_281,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Clay County Military Veterans’ Stories]]></title><description><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections recently received a list of interviews with Clay County WWII military veterans done by Donna Schafer and published in the Vermillion Plain Talk newspaper. Aakre, Elmer “Sandy”. Vermillion Plain Talk. March 25, 2011, page 5. Anderson, Richard. Vermillion Plain Talk website says January 27, 2011, but we could not find it […]]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/clay-county-military-veterans-stories</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6978e7e8c81bade1ddc118b2</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:16:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_bb0bdbdf230d4a14a0a9f9a9da4ca0df~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_465,h_261,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Doris Peterson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Help us transcribe our Archive collections!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Help us transcribe our collections! https://fromthepage.com/usdarchives FromThePage is a software designed for transcribing documents. The platform enables users to view an image of a page and transcribe the corresponding text. More information https://libguides.usd.edu/fromthepage  Questions? Email us at library@usd.edu Recently our work in FromThePage was featured on KTIV news. https://www.ktiv.com/2026/01/13/becoming-digital-archivist-vermillion-libraries-seek-volunteers-help-with-historic...]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/help-us-transcribe-our-archive-collections</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6978e7e8c81bade1ddc118ac</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chilson Collection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Digital Library of South Dakota]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 09:20:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_63bd814ff79e4423a3538bb28e1ba681~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_735,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>annehinseth</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cuthbert DuCharme’s Trading Post Ledger: 1869-1872]]></title><description><![CDATA[First started by fur traders, Dakota Territory trading posts provided places for patrons to meet, have a drink of whiskey or two, purchase items needed for everyday living or work, obtain jobs, get a room for the night, or obtain a ride to another town. Cuthbert DuCharme (“Old Pap”), a French-Canadian fur trader, arrived in […]]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/cuthbert-ducharme-s-trading-post-ledger-1869-1872</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6978e7e8c81bade1ddc118b0</guid><category><![CDATA[Archives and Special Collections]]></category><category><![CDATA[Chilson Collection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Digital Library of South Dakota]]></category><category><![CDATA[South Dakota History]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:48:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_26efca67695441b39dc86d4409141465~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_735,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>evelynschlenker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[William Richard Cross, Pioneer Photographer:]]></title><description><![CDATA[Digital Images of “Indians of North America, Prisoners of War Series”, Chilson Collection (https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/chilson/search/searchterm/Bailey%2C%20Dix%20%26%20Mead/field/contra/mode/exact/conn/and/page/1 William Richard (W. R.) Cross was born in Vermont in 1839. He learned photography from his brother Daniel Cross who was a Union Civil War photographer. In 1867, W. R. Cross moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and married Jennie Church. Subsequently, they […]]]></description><link>https://readingroom.usd.edu/post/william-richard-cross-pioneer-photographer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6978e7e8c81bade1ddc118af</guid><category><![CDATA[Chilson Collection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Digital Library of South Dakota]]></category><category><![CDATA[Photographs]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:17:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3196e_0608d1f081114c0998b77cefc6ae29ce~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_845,h_552,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>evelynschlenker</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>