ABOUT COLLECTIONS

NIBSDA includes digital surrogates and associated metadata of format-neutral records of Federal, Tribal, State, or Church operators of boarding school institutions as well as records of private parties and other documents of historical significance related to the U.S. Indian boarding school era.

“Indian boarding schools” are defined as educational institutions where American Indian or Alaskan Native students resided away from their families (does not include day school institutions, orphanages, or sanitariums).  

Any materials falling within the below described Collection Scope are subject to selection, capture, digitization, and publication to NIBSDA online digital collections.

 

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COLLECTION SCOPE

Prominent Subjects and Formats to Cultivate:

•        Any record regardless of format pertaining to the Indian boarding school era spanning the 19^th century to the 20^th century.

•        Priority focus on the Historical Assimilative Model of the Indian boarding school era, approximate date range of 1870 -1970

•        Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)/Office of Indian Affairs (OIA) Record Group 75 Boarding School materials with a date range of 1870-1944 (or date range ending 75 years from current date due to U. S. Privacy Law)

•        Exceptions outside of the Historical Assimilative Model will be received in NIBSDA as valuable contributions to charting the evolution of the U.S. Indian boarding school era, and include:

•        Church-operated Indian boarding and mission school records date range of 1822-1944 (or date range ending 75 years from current date due to U. S. Privacy Law)

•        Tribal-operated Indian boarding schools that operated between the early-19^th century to the mid-20^th century

•        Administrative documents, correspondence, manuscripts of Indian boarding schoolteachers, counselors, preachers, and any other Indian boarding school official or representative

•        Correspondence between Tribal governments, traditional leaders, or prominent advocates with Indian boarding school officials, agents, or representatives.

•        Personal papers of Indian boarding school officials and agents relevant to Indian boarding school era.

•        Student files relevant to student careers at Indian boarding schools detailing intake, registration, and processing documentation, disciplinary action, tracking correspondence, familial correspondence, progress reports, student body affairs, extracurricular documents, curriculum reports and classroom assignments such as book reports, art projects, etc.

•        Indian boarding school records including student’s name, degree of Indian blood, Tribal affiliation, names and Tribal affiliations of the student’s parents or guardians, religious affiliation, and dates of attendance with available additional information such as applications for enrollment, medical examination forms, attendance and grade reports, examples of student work, newspaper clippings, documents relate to student employment, and correspondence.

•        Indian boarding school ephemera including but not limited to posters, literature, flyers, stickers, etc.

•        Indian boarding school newspapers detailing school activities such as general events, celebrations, anniversaries, student body, student highlights, etc.

•        Artistic expressions of Indian boarding school history by Indian boarding school students, survivors, and/or descendants.

•        Oral history content (audiovisual interview recordings) of firsthand accounts by Indian boarding school survivors and/or lineal descendants.

•        Video productions regarding boarding school history (both early and modern) which can include television segments, television series, and interviews.

•        Audio recordings regarding Boarding School History (both early and modern).

•        Any record, document, or artifact that enriches current collections housed within NIBSDA.

 

Materials Not Collected

•        Records of day school institutions, orphanages, or sanitariums where American Indian and Alaska Native children were sent to.

•        Personal papers of individuals who attended boarding school that were not created during their student careers. These should be deferred to respective Tribal archival institutions.

•        Books and publications.

•        Physical records. NABS does not operate a physical archival institution. NIBSDA can, however, digitize physical collections subject to the collection scope free of cost to potential donors but will facilitate and defer physical transfer or donation to other institutions. For more information, please see “Services.”

•        Any materials, regardless of its subject matter, that is: beyond repair, too costly to acquire, too costly to stabilize and keep, contaminated, moldy, or would otherwise pose a danger or harm to any other collections.

•        3-Dimensional objects which cannot be photographed or digitized because they are too costly to acquire.

•        Materials indicating ceremonial, archaeological, or other potentially culturally sensitive documentation.

•        Contemporary publications, reports, presentations, etc. are subject to inclusion in the NABS Resource Database.

For any questions, please contact us.