Date: 11/13/26 9:10 am From: Ricky Olson via sd-birds <olsonr088...> Subject: Re: [sd-birds] files
Thank you Mick Zerr finally concise answers !!
On Fri, Nov 13, 2026 at 11:07 AM Michael Zerr via sd-birds <zerrmick=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Folks, questions about our material in storage at the Center for Western
> Studies were raised at the Yankton meeting. The answers from CWS
> referring to that are in this forward.
>
> Mick Zerr
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Elizabeth Cisar <elizabeth.cisar...>
> Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2026 at 10:30 AM
> Subject: Re: files
> To: Michael Zerr <zerrmick...>
>
>
> Good morning, Mick,
>
> These are all great questions. I will tackle them in order.
>
> *1. Do SDOU members pay a fee to use the material? *
> We ask organizations to maintain a $100 annual membership with CWS to
> support the management of their archives. In exchange, we do not charge
> the per visit research fee when members come to work on official
> organization business.
>
> SDOU has not provided annual support to the archives, so the per visit
> research fee of $30 would apply.
>
> *2. If a SDOU member is also a CWS member, is there a fee? *
> It depends on the member's level. Individual members at the Explorer
> ($100) level and above receive a free research visit each year (referred to
> as "complimentary research assistance" in membership materials).
>
> *3. If we wish to digitize our material, what would the process be? *
> This is a very large question. The process and cost of any digitization
> project depends on your goals and the scope. What (and how much) material
> would be included? Are you digitizing to create open (public) access, or
> members only access? This would determine the level of descriptive
> information to be generated for each file (the most time-consuming part of
> the work).
>
> We could do a small-scale project at CWS, publishing the materials on our digital
> collections website <http://np3.augie.edu>. We do not have the staffing
> to conduct a large project, so that would require fundraising to either
> hire project-specific staff, or to pay an outside vendor. For example,
> Augustana used St. Cloud-based ArcaSearch <https://www.arcasearch.com/> > to scan the university's yearbooks, student newspapers, and promotional
> publications. A large project would also require significant server space,
> so we'd have to discuss our capacities and whether a third-party host would
> be necessary.
>
> I'd be happy to have a meeting to discuss these options and the project
> you have in mind.
>
> *4. Can additional records be added to our collection?*
> Yes, additional records can be added (and are expected). We are still
> primarily a physical archive, and do not have the infrastructure for
> managing born-digital/electronic records at scale. So physical copies of
> meeting minutes, etc., are best.
>
> Thanks for reaching out! Let me know if you have any further questions.
>
> ~Liz Cisar '06
> Collections Associate
> Center for Western Studies
>
> Augustana University
>
> 2001 S. Summit Ave.
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2001+S.+Summit+Ave.%C2%A0+%7C%C2%A0+Sioux+Falls,+SD+57197?entry=gmail&source=g> > |
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2001+S.+Summit+Ave.%C2%A0+%7C%C2%A0+Sioux+Falls,+SD+57197?entry=gmail&source=g>Sioux > Falls, SD 57197
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2001+S.+Summit+Ave.%C2%A0+%7C%C2%A0+Sioux+Falls,+SD+57197?entry=gmail&source=g> >
> <elizabeth.cisar...> | 605.274.5017 <(605)%20274-5017> |
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2001+S.+Summit+Ave.%C2%A0+%7C%C2%A0+Sioux+Falls,+SD+57197?entry=gmail&source=g> > augie.edu/cws
>
>
>
> Check out Northern Plains Peoples and Places (np3) <http://np3.augie.edu>,
> Augustana University's institutional repository (and home of the CWS
> digital collections)
>
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 11, 2026 at 12:39 PM Michael Zerr <zerrmick...> wrote:
>
>> Elizabeth, at the state meeting of the South Dakota Ornithologists Union,
>> some members indicated interest in doing research utilizing the
>> archived papers we have at Western Studies.
>> Here are the questions they had: 1. Do SDOU members pay a fee to use the
>> material? 2. If a SDOU member is also a CWS member, is there a fee? 3. If
>> we wish to digitize our material, what would the process be? 4. Can
>> additional records be added to our collection?
>>
>> Thanks
>> Mick Zerr
>> Librarian, SDOU
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
