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The Minnesota and North Dakota
state historical records boards are collaborating on a landmark project,
Agricultural and Rural Life: Documenting Change. The first joint project
funded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission,
it proposes an interstate, interdisciplinary and grassroots approach
for thoughtfully and pragmatically understanding and documenting modern
U.S. rural society. Centered in the Red River
valley border region, the specific study area encompasses Traill, Steele,
and Griggs counties in ND, along with Minnesota's Wild Rice watershed
(parts of Becker, Clay, Clearwater, Mahnomen, and Norman counties). This project does not propose
to collect actual documentation, rather to be used as a tool to reevaluate
collections policies in order to better acknowledge changing rural realities.
Specific goals include: a) define important components
of change in rural society during the late 20th Century; Three focus groups will play
pivotal roles in discovering our conclusions. Each of the groups: scholars,
archivists, and citizens will involve regional community members, representing
diverse social, cultural, intellectual, and economic backgrounds. This
project requires honest and truthful interpretation of the region throughout
every aspect of society, stating again its truly grassroots intent.
This project illustrates the importance of cooperation between local,
regional, and state organizations. By working together we gain far more
realistic and accurate results while forging lasting cooperative relationships,
leading to increases in funding, documentation, preservation, and recognition
of the Red River valley\'s rich historical record. Please feel free to contact
Ben Leonard, project coordinator, with any questions or comments: Ben Leonard
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