SAVE IOWA HISTORY!

RALLY to KEEP State Historical Society of Iowa’s research facility in Iowa City OPEN!

Restore Funding for the State Historical Society of Iowa Libraries and Archives. Keep physical records of Iowa history accessible to all.

OVERARCHING MESSAGE

This is not a partisan issue.  The preservation of Iowa history and public access to historical collections is a pressing matter for all Iowans, both current and future.  History is a crucial part of the civic life of the state.

THE IMMEDIATE THREAT (See below for ISSUES and CONCERNS)

Reorganization plans for the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) endanger the preservation of Iowa history contained in publications, diaries, letters, photographs, maps, oral histories, films, and other materials housed at the Society’s two libraries in Des Moines and Iowa City. Drastic reductions in staff and collection management issues threaten public access to the state’s history.  Iowans risk being severed from their past.

PRESS RELEASE from State Historical Society of Iowa:

The State Historical Society of Iowa, today announced the difficult decision to close the Centennial Building Research Center in Iowa City, Iowa in July 2026, due to ongoing financial considerations. Effective July 9, 2025, the Centennial Building Research Center hours change to appointment-only. These hours last through December 31, 2025.

Established in 1956 upon agreement between The State Historical Society of Iowa and the University of Iowa, the Centennial Building has become duplicative in function to the State Historical Society’s mission, considering the recent renovation to the research center in Des Moines. Despite the Centennial Building’s notable long-term impact, sustained funding challenges have made continued operation unsustainable.

“The decision was not made lightly,” said Administrator Valerie Van Kooten, of the State Historical Society of Iowa.  “We take seriously the stewardship of Iowa’s history through its collections, artifacts and programs, and we are committed to providing the highest level of care for these items as well as the best possible experience for our patrons and the people of Iowa.”

Ongoing dialogue between partners and institutions across Iowa continue, as logistics and collection management considerations are weighed.

The collection size maintained with the Centennial Building stands at 34,700 cubic feet. Through a recent appropriation by the Iowa Legislature (HF 1039), a $5 million project was approved to revamp the archival storage shelving units of the State Historical Building in Des Moines. Upon completion of this initiative in 2028, the modernized storage solution will accommodate the added archival volume and provide streamlined and centralized public access to the collection.

On behalf of all Iowans and others interested in the history of the greater Midwest, the Save Iowa History Coalition makes the following requests of Iowa state officials:

1.     Guarantee accessibility to the physical records of Iowa’s history at the State Historical Society of Iowa libraries and archives, as well as the State Archives.  Maintain the operation of the Iowa City SHSI branch located in the Centennial Building, which manages the materials collected since the institution’s 1857 founding under the auspices of the University of Iowa.

2.     Provide funding sufficient to enable library staff to conserve, process, catalog, and manage the SHSI’s valuable collections and acquire new ones.  Ensure that the libraries remain open to the public during regular business hours at least five days per week. 

3.     Make the budget and decision-making process for the DAS and SHSI more transparent and allow for public input into plans for the reorganization, dispersion, or digitization of the SHSI research collections. 

4.     Official decisions should honor SHSI’s legal, ethical, and fiduciary responsibilities, while keeping in mind the historical and intrinsic value of the collections the people of Iowa established and invested in for 166 years. Protecting the integrity of the institution’s legacy and commitments made to past, present, and future generations of Iowans should remain at the forefront. 

Thank you for signing the petition.  If you wish to make your voice more widely heard, write or call the Governor of Iowa, your Iowa state legislators, the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, and/or the State Historical Society of Iowa. Tell them to restore the cuts to staff and hours of the SHSI libraries that have longed served the state so well. Insist that the DAS abide by the Mission Statement of the State Historical Society of Iowa under Iowa Code. 

ISSUES and CONCERNS:

1.     The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) was placed under the Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) when Governor Reynolds reorganized state government in 2022. Appropriations from the General Fund continue to decline, compromising the mission of the institution.

2.     Iowa’s governor decided to close the Iowa City Research Center as of June 30, 2025, without prior notice or public input from the Board of the State Historical Society of Iowa, the Iowa Historical Foundation, or other stakeholders including staff, researchers, donors, partner institutions, or State Historical Society, Inc.

3.     At risk is the preservation of and access to Iowa’s unique documentary record, particularly if the research collections housed in the archival facility located at 402 Iowa Avenue in Iowa City are re-located to Des Moines, possibly dispersed to partner institutions, or even deaccessioned.

4.     Four FTE professional staff in the Libraries and Archives were recently laid off, including two in Des Moines and two in Iowa City (who will remain until December 31, 2025). Insufficient staffing exists at both locations for the proper transfer of materials from Iowa City or to provide quality reference services.

5.     Aside from budgetary constraints, an even greater problem is the decades-long determination of the governor and SHSI leadership to starve research collections and reallocate staff and resources to activities unrelated to preserving a permanent documentary record of the state’s history.

6.     The publication of the SHSI academic journal, The Annals of Iowa, which began in 1866, was discontinued in June 2025. Valuable scholarly investigations into Iowa’s role in the nation and world will be curtailed, especially if access to primary source materials is diminished with poor collection management.

7.     There is a fundamental lack of historical and archival expertise at the senior decision-making levels in DAS and SHSI. Anthony Jahn, State Archivist, who oversees SHSI’s unique collections of documentary evidence, has no formal library or archival training.

8.     SHSI abandoned the shared online catalog system formed in partnership with the University of Iowa Libraries in favor of an inferior online catalog, with yearly contract maintenance costs. Not all collections are in the online catalog.

9.     Jahn moved forward on vacating the Iowa City facility prior to any announcements about closure and has actively engaged in dismantling programs long fostered by SHSI, privatized Iowa newspaper holdings, and suspended work with county records preservation.

10.    Replacing compact shelving in Des Moines by 2028 was a necessity, though intended primarily for existing archival holdings. SHSI’s facility in Des Moines lacks sufficient space and staffing to absorb and properly house materials currently housed in the Iowa City facility.

Click here to sign the petition.