North Dakota Ag Connection - UND Treasure Keeper Selected for Elite Training

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UND Treasure Keeper Selected for Elite Training
North Dakota Ag Connection - 03/19/2019

One recent Tuesday seemed like yet another ordinary work day. In the afternoon, Curt Hanson, director of the Department of Special Collections at the University of North Dakota, was manning the reference desk on the fourth floor of the Chester Fritz Library, a task he shares with his two colleagues.

Then, he received an email from the Archives Leadership Institute (ALI), a prestigious, highly discerning organization for archivists across the globe. He was accepted to the 2019 program.

"When I opened the email and read it, I went, 'Wow,'" Hanson said. "I was rather excited."

And for a good reason.

Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, each year ALI provides premier training for a select cohort of 20 archivists who have proven themselves leaders in the profession and in their establishments.

"Curt's acceptance into ALI is wonderful for the Libraries and UND as a whole," said Stephanie Walker, dean of Libraries & Information Resources. "It ensures that he will have the opportunity to meet even more leaders in the field and make connections that can only help us, and it means that he will be further exposed to the latest developments in the field of archival management."

The 2019 ALI session is to gather archivists from the Library of Congress, the Library and Archives of Canada and a slew of top universities. They will not only ponder over the future of the archival craft but also discuss vision and change within it.

"I encouraged Curt to apply to ALI, not only because the skills I learned were invaluable, but also because the people I met became such an important part of my professional network," said Rosemary Flynn, principal librarian at the Energy and Environmental Research Center, an ALI alumna and friend of Hanson's from their years in library school at Indiana University, Bloomington.

When Hanson obtained his master's degree in library science, he landed a job as an archivist with UND. It was almost two decades ago but he never considered pursuing other gigs. About 10 years in, Hanson took the reins of the department.

"I really, really like my job so I haven't had any reason to leave," he said.

And what is not to love about it?

For the Aldrich, Minn.-native, being an archivist equates a deep dive into history, a subject matter he is a maven in, by trade and by calling.

As an undergraduate student at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Hanson majored in history with the intention to one day tech it at a university. But then, he had a change of heart. He did not enjoy research and writing as much as a professor should. A friend suggested he attend library school, and Hanson did not look back.

"I truly think I have the best job on campus," said Hanson, an assertion he included in his ALI application. "I enjoy working with history. I enjoy working with the public, whoever that might be. The job that I have is perfectly suited for my philosophy."

It is easy to see why. Reminiscing about an archival document that he cherishes, Hanson delighted in sharing its past.

It is a seven-page essay, scribbled on notebook paper, by Dagne Olsen before she commenced what morphed into seven terms in the North Dakota House of Representatives late last century. On the sheets, she strung her thoughts about the impact her legislative career might level on her, her family and the civic clubs she held dear.

"It is a wonderful document," Hanson said. "You can just picture her sitting down at the table, at the farm house, which I have been to, and just writing things out."

The Olsen manuscripts at UND are special to Hanson for another reason too -- he is good friends with one of Olsen's sons, although he only realized the connection when working on the collection.

There are, of course, a slate of other historic treasures in Hanson's custody -- from the papers of prominent U.S. senators and congressmen from North Dakota to the documents of state luminaries to the University's own archives. And, then, there are various tasks associated with their arrangement, preservation and availability.

"I work on various different collections, digitize material, help patrons -- everything that I get to do here, I really like," Hanson said. "I also like the fact that it is so general. I am not just working on this type of stuff or that, every day for me is different."

But on June 9-15, Hanson is to take a break from his work at UND to attend ALI on the campus of Purdue University, the regional rival of Indiana University, Bloomington, his graduate institution.

"I had never set foot on [Purdue's] campus before," he said. "The location of ALI was also very interesting to me."

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