The NDSU Libraries’ Germans from Russia Heritage Collection received the Award of Merit and the WOW Award by the American Association of State and Local History. The awards were presented at the National Convention in Richmond, Va., this fall. A longtime partner, the State Historical Society of North Dakota nominated the collection.
According to the American Association of State and Local History, the WOW Award is given to an Award of Merit winner that is “highly inspirational, exhibits exceptional scholarship and/or is exceedingly entrepreneurial in terms of funding, partnerships or collaborations, creative problem solving, or unusual project design and inclusiveness.” Only three WOW Awards were given this year.
“The association’s Annual Awards Program, now in its 66th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history,” said Erik Holland, the North Dakota state team leader for the American Association of State and Local History.
Merl Paaverud, director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, wrote in his nomination letter, “The work of Michael M. Miller and Acacia (Jonas) Stuckle at North Dakota State University Libraries' Germans from Russia Heritage Collection has received much deserved national recognition. The work of the GRHC has been instrumental in preserving and presenting the German-Russian heritage and culture for generations to come. The preservation projects have been extensive and impressive from translating and publishing books, producing documentaries, developing collections, producing exhibits, offering tours to the homeland and regionally, and offering outreach programs via the Web. The American Association of State and Local History’s national awards, especially the WOW Award, acknowledged the quality and depth of their work. The GRHC has for decades and will continue on to give North Dakota a national presence in the field of history.”
The NDSU Libraries’ Germans from Russia Heritage Collection was cited for its exceptional work in preserving and sharing the culture of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. Its founding director and bibliographer is Michael Miller, who has been a librarian and faculty member at NDSU since 1967. “Since its inception in 1978, this specialized archive has become one of the most comprehensive collections of German-Russian resources in the world,” Miller said. As a North Dakota and German-Russian ambassador, Miller conducts annual Journey to the Homeland heritage tours to Ukraine and Germany. He started these tours in 1996 and they continue today, keeping Americans connected to their German-Russian heritage. In addition, Miller’s Dakota Memories initiative includes the Oral History Project and Heritage Tour. Through the Oral History Project, comprehensive research collections have been created, with residencies in communities from South Dakota to Saskatchewan. The Heritage Tour is an outreach and educational program promoting heritage tourism in North Dakota.
NDSU is student focused and committed to its land-grant mission. For more information about the NDSU Libraries’ Germans from Russia Collection, visit http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc.
