Iowans’ access to history is in danger

As chairmen and chairwomen of history departments in colleges and universities across Iowa, we are deeply committed to Iowa's history. Preserving this history, helping our students discover it, and bringing it to all Iowans - these are essential parts of our mission. We believe history is crucial to the life of a democracy.

A desperate lack of funding, however, has endangered Iowa's history. The current proposal for renovating the State Historical Building in Des Moines may make the process irreversible.

Documents created by those who lived in the past lay at the heart of historical work. Those documents reveal forgotten histories, whether of escaped slaves, pioneering homesteaders, or urban neighborhoods. Without those documents, we cannot write the histories that Iowans value as they visit historic sites, watch historic films, or tell stories to their grandchildren.

Over the last 150 years, countless individuals and institutions have entrusted their records to the State Historical Society of Iowa. The state has honored their trust by preserving those records and making them available to teachers, filmmakers, journalists, students, authors, public officials, genealogists, and more.

Our students often describe their first encounter with original documents as the moment that made them feel connected to their state's history. But most visitors to the State Historical Society of Iowa are outside the university system. Some reconstruct their family histories. Some research historic buildings to preserve one-room schoolhouses. Some examine environmental history to create sustainable communities for the future. Visitors include world-renowned authors and filmmakers - like Ken Burns' team, which visited the State Historical Society of Iowa to research the PBS documentary 'Jazz.”

Thanks to films, books, exhibits, and reports built on such research, the impact of the State Historical Society of Iowa extends far beyond those who personally visit - just like the real impact of a pharmaceutical lab is on those who are cured by the medications developed there, even if they never set foot in the facility.

Yet as a recent report by the Save Iowa History Alliance details, Iowans' access their history is in danger. Professional library and archival staff has shrunk so radically that the remnant is unable to perform basic upkeep. Instead, budget dollars have shifted to administrative and public relations positions. New acquisitions and publications have nearly ceased - yet history continues to be made. Visiting hours have been sharply curtailed. Instead, the Department of Cultural Affairs promises to ease access via digitization. But you can't digitize what you don't have. Without a commitment to collecting and preserving materials - never mind a budget for the costly process of digitalization - promises of digitization ring hollow.

The current proposal for renovating the State Historical Building in Des Moines raises particular concern. The plan envisions the destruction of the East Wing, where the libraries, archives, and State Historic Preservation Office reside. The libraries and archives are already close to capacity. With diminished space for research materials, one-of-a-kind collections will be discarded. Other materials will face an uncertain future in off-site storage facilities, as the Predesign Report contains no budget for managing and providing access to collections. The proposal makes no provision for the State Historical Preservation Office.

The plan promises a 'kid-friendly” museum, and as educators, we support such outreach. But how did we learn the history that will be digested into kid-friendly format? By visiting the libraries and archives. We need the raw materials of history to tell our stories to a larger public.

The State Historical Building badly needs repairs, and these must be done. But rather than bulldozing space that houses invaluable collections, the Department of Cultural Affairs should put its money into preserving collections and hiring professional staff.

Without such measures, Iowa's history has no future.

This letter is signed by the following Chairs of History Departments at Iowa colleges and universities:

Michael Bailey

Interim Chair

Iowa State University

Patrick Bass

Morningside College

Brian Caton

Luther College

Robert Givens

Cornell College

Elizabeth Heineman

University of Iowa

Eric Juhnke

Briarcliff College

Robert Martin

University of Northern Iowa

Glenn McKnight

Drake University

Elizabeth Prevost

Grinnell College