This American Archives Month, the Collections team at the Nebraska State Historical Society wanted to share what they have been up to for the last year. From assisting researchers, acquiring new collections, digitizing records, and managing the current collection, they have been hard at work preserving and sharing Nebraska’s history.
Serving Researchers
This past year the Collections team answered 2,352 online reference requests and assisted 612 in-person researchers in the James E. Potter Research Room. Whether helping genealogists trace family stories or guiding students through primary sources, the team plays a vital role in connecting people with Nebraska’s history.
Collections Digitized
The Collections team also expanded access to our collections. Over 800 museum objects, archeological records, and nearly 12,000 pages of archival materials were scanned, many from the partnership with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society. Not to be outdone, the Photo and AV team repaired and digitized nearly two miles of 16mm footage. Finally, a total of 118 items were newly featured at the Nebraska History Museum, enriching multiple exhibits. Visit the museum to see what is new!
New Acquisitions
New items were also added to the collection. Here are some highlights:
Cliffs Notes: Originally founded in Nebraska by Clifton Hillegass in 1958, CliffsNotes remained headquartered in the state until its acquisition in 1998. This year, a former employee donated a unique selection of CliffsNotes materials, including the classic study guides, “Cliffs Cassettes,” and promotional merchandise—including a pair of branded boxer shorts.
Dewitt High School playing possibly Polk High School in the 1962 NSAA Basketball Tournament in the Nebraska Coliseum RG5943.PH
Don Wright: Veteran KOLN photojournalist Don Wright (1923–2022) documented major Nebraska events from 1953 to 1986, including six presidential visits, the 1955 State Penitentiary riot, the 1962 Tilden tornado, and the Wounded Knee Trials. Wright also covered the Starkweather-Fugate trials, and the collection includes the camera he attempted to use to photograph Charles Starkweather’s execution, though it failed to function.
Spirit of the Wind Print: Ogalala Lakota Artist Daniel Log Soldier (b. 1949) grew up near Rushville and attended a reservation boarding school. His acrylic artwork reflects Oglala Lakot traditions, and he regards his talent as a gift from the Great Spirit.
2024 Omaha Supernovas Poster Signed by the Players
Supernovas Volleyball Collection: NSHS collaborated closely with the Supernovas to preserve the history of professional women’s sports in Nebraska. The Supernovas donated a game ball, jersey, and a variety of promotional materials from the inaugural championship season of Nebraska’s first professional volleyball team.
Husker Hat: This hat was worn by Russell Reno of Aliance and adorned by his brother-in-law with 44 husker pins spanning from the 1970s to the early 2000s.
A Labor Union Newsletter by Jonas Wangberg
Jonas Rasmussen Wangberg Collection: This collection documents the work of Jonas Wangberg (1872–1946), a labor leader and union organizer in Omaha, who worked to organize a collection of local unions along the Union and Southern Pacific Railroads in 1919. It includes handwritten and illustrated publications promoting the labor movement, such as The Labor Temple Ferret and The Blast.
Other Notable Acquisitions: Workers’ Compensation Court bulletins (1937–2007) offering a concise record of the agency’s evolution. Also acquired is a collection of handmade knives by Loren Pickering of Crawford, NE, crafted in the 1960s and 70s and purchased by Dwane Vicstrom of Cairo, NE, for hunting and taxidermy. Additionally, postcards depicting the Nebraska Consolidated Mills plant in Grand Island—known as ConAgra Brands, Inc. since 1971—were added to the collection.
This only covers a small selection of what the Collections team did this year, check back to see our Annual Report coming out later this month.
Happy American Archives Month from all of us at the Nebraska State Historical Society!
-NSHS Collections Team, 10/6/25
