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Digital Initiatives: North Dakota School for the Deaf Collection

Digital Initiatives department at the North Dakota State Library

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North Dakota School for the Deaf Collection

The North Dakota School for the Deaf collection contains newsletters, biennial reports, photographs, videos, objects, and documents relating to the North Dakota School for the Deaf in Devils Lake, since its inception in the 1890s to the present.

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About the Collection

The collection is a partnership between the North Dakota State Library and the North Dakota School for the Deaf.

The North Dakota School for the Deaf/ Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NDSD/ RCDHH) was established in 1890 by the North Dakota Constitution and located in Devils Lake is under the direction, control, and management of the Department of Public Instruction NDSD/ RCDHH has been proudly serving the citizens of North Dakota with programs and services since its establishment by the North Dakota Legislature in 1890 and continues to be an important part of the continuum of services of North Dakota's excellent education system.

Banner Newsletters

The Banner, the official newsletter of the NDSD, was first published in 1891. Clara Halvorson, the first teacher employed at the school, is credited with naming the Banner. The purpose of the Banner was to keep parents informed on what happened at the school, publish pupils’ school work, and to provide publishing experience to students. This subcollection includes all of the issues of the Banner from 1891 to today.

Over the years, the newsletter has repeatedly changed its publication frequency. It has been published weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. As a result, the newsletters are organized by school year, so each record in the subcollection will have all issues for that given school year.


NDSD Biennial Reports

Biennial reports of the North Dakota School for the Deaf in Devils Lake.


NDSD Images

Images from or relating to the North Dakota School for the Deaf in Devils Lake. In some instances, the images may have been pulled from various publications (such as biennial reports or newsletters), or they are originals from the school. In some cases, this subcollection is further divided into sections:


NDSD Publications

Publications, documents, videos, etc. about or from the North Dakota School for the Deaf. These are that publications do not include the school's biennial reports or the Banner newsletters (as these items have their own subcollections). In some cases, the items in this subcollection may be further divided into sections. This sections are listed below.

Collection Guides: North Dakota School for the Deaf


Collection Guides: General

Content Warning

Due to the nature and age of certain historical materials, some items within the "North Dakota School for the Deaf" collection may include language and/or imagery that depict prejudices, or content that is considered offensive and harmful.

The North Dakota State Library (NDSL) and its partner, the North Dakota School for the Deaf (NDSD), do not condone any prejudices or harmful content found within this digital collection. They do not reflect the view, mission, values, and policies of NDSL or its partners.

In the interest of historical integrity, understanding, study, and to inspire discussion, NDSL does not intend to permanently block or exclude any text or images in this digital collection. NDSL supports the open access and use of its digital collections and strives to allow users to access and search high-quality representations of the original items. It is NDSL’s responsibility to make its digital collections user-friendly while serving as conscientious stewards of an ever-complicated history.

This content statement is provided to warn users of potentially harmful or offensive material, and to give users the opportunity to decide for themselves if they wish to view the material or not. The intent of a content statement or warning is not to deter users from collections.

For further information, consult the document below.

Donations

If you are interested in contributing items to the ND State Library's digital collections, please visit our Donations page for more information.

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Many of these resources and programs are funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.