Donating Materials

Covid-19 Collection

Here at the State Historical Society of Iowa, we invite Iowans to help us preserve and share the stories of this particular time for future generations. We invite you to add your thoughts, feelings and experiences of this ongoing situation and its impact on the state by submitting various digital materials, including blog posts, emails, digital journal and diary entries, photographs, videos, voice memos and audio recordings, and digital art. Consider sending accounts of your own personal or family’s experiences with the coronavirus or any of its ripple effects, such as social distancing, working from home, losing a job, shifting school and other activities to a virtual format. Please fill out and submit the Covid-19 Object Donation Form.

General Collections

The State Historical Society of Iowa builds its object, photograph, manuscript, audio-visual and other collections through public donations and with limited purchases of new material. The collection committee uses selection criteria guided by a collection management policy and collecting plan. All offers will be carefully evaluated and considered, however not everything will be added to the collection. The society does not accept materials under permanent loan agreements. For more information please contact us.

If you are interested in donating an item to the museum, please fill out and submit the Object Donation Form.The information will be reviewed and you will receive a response within 30 days.

If you have questions about caring for objects, Collections Care Resources provides advice and recommendations for preserving your treasures. If you would like to learn more about objects in the museum collection, please search the online catalog. 

The State Historical Society of Iowa does not provide authentications or monetary appraisals of documents, photographs or other historical resources. For assistance in in these areas, please visit the Society of American Archivists or American Society of Appraisers.