DANISH IMMIGRANT MUSEUM
507 SOUTH MECHANIC STREET, DECORAH, IA 52101 www.danishmuseum.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: CELEBRATING DANISH ROOTS AND AMERICAN DREAMS. A STRIKING MODERN HALF-TIMBERED BUILDING SITUATED ON 30-ACRES IN WESTERN IOWA'S ROLLING HILLS HOUSES EXTENSIVE ARTIFACT COLLECTIONS, PERMANENT, AND TRAVELING EXHIBITS.

THE MUSEUM OF DANISH AMERICA CELEBRATES DANISH ROOTS AND AMERICAN DREAMS THROUGH ITS CURATORIAL ACTIVITIES. THE CURATORIAL DEPARTMENT MAINTAINS A COLLECTION OF APPROXIMATELY 30,000 ARTIFACTS AND ACCEPTED 163 ADDITIONAL PIECES DURING THIS PAST YEAR. OVER 44,500 ARTIFACT AND ARCHIVAL RECORDS ARE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH "VIEW OUR COLLECTION" ON THE MUSEUM'S WEBSITE. THE MUSEUM (1) WELCOMED 3000 VISITORS THIS YEAR, (2) OPENED FOUR NEW TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS, AND (3) PROVIDED 5 DIFFERENT TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS TO 8 VENUES IN 5 STATES, REACHING AN ADDITIONAL AUDIENCE OF OVER 1,000 PEOPLE. A ROBUST CALENDAR OF SPECIAL EVENTS PROVIDED LUNCHTIME SPEAKERS, HOLIDAY TRADITIONS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, AND DANISH FILMS TO VISITORS OF ALL AGES; IN 2020, MANY OF THESE EVENTS WERE MOVED TO ONLINE FORMATS.

THE GENEALOGY CENTER OF THE MUSEUM OF DANISH AMERICA, LOCATED ON MAIN STREET IN ELK HORN, COLLECTS PRINT, VISUAL, MICROFORM AND DIGITAL MATERIALS ON DANISH IMMIGRANTS AND DANISH AMERICANS, THEIR COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS. IT ALSO PROVIDES INFORMATION ON RELEVANT GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES AS WELL AS RESEARCH AND TRANSLATION SERVICES TO NORTH AMERICAN AND DANISH PATRONS BOTH IN-HOUSE AND LONG-DISTANCE. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO PROVIDES SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE CURATORIAL AND EXHIBITIONS DEPARTMENTS. IN FY 2019/2020, THE GENEALOGY CENTER HAD VISITORS FROM ALL ACROSS THE WORLD, INCLUDING DENMARK, WHILE MANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS CONTACTED THE CENTER VIA PHONE, EMAIL, AND MAIL. OUTREACH ACTIVITIES INCLUDED NEWSPAPER VIGNETTES, ARTICLES WRITTEN FOR THE AMERICA LETTER, PRESENTATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTIONS, AND MEETINGS WITH OTHER DANISH-AMERICAN ARCHIVES AND ORGANIZATIONS. STAFF CONSISTS OF 1 FULL-TIME LIBRARIAN/MANAGER, A .8 FTE RESEARCHER, OCCASIONAL INTERNS, AND OVER A DOZEN LOCAL AND LONG-DISTANCE VOLUNTEERS. IN FY 2019/2020, GENEALOGY STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS COMPLETED 20 TRANSLATION REQUESTS AND 18 IN-DEPTH RESEARCH PROJECTS, CREATED SEVERAL NEW IN-HOUSE INDEXES AND DATABASES, UPDATED MORE THAN 150 IMMIGRANT FILES IN THE VERTICAL FILE COLLECTION, ADDED OVER 20 WALL OF HONOR FILES, AND CREATED MANY MORE NEW ONES. IT HAS ALSO RECEIVED 40 DONATIONS FOR THE LIBRARY AND COLLECTIONS. THANKS TO A NEW HRDP GRANT FUNDING THE DANISH SISTERHOOD OF AMERICA ARCHIVE PROJECT, 275 LEDGERS AND 5 LINEAR FEET OF ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN CATALOGED AND PROCESSED.

THE DESIGN STORE DISPLAYS ITEMS AND SELLS ITEMS REFLECTING THE BEST IN DANISH DESIGN AND BOOKS ABOUT DENMARK AND DANISH-AMERICAN RELATIONS. INVENTORY IS SELECTED THAT REFLECTS THE MUSEUM'S MISSION OF EDUCATING AND INFORMING ITS PUBLIC AND INCLUDES ITEMS FROM FURNITURE TO LIGHTING TO JEWELRY AND HOME INTERIOR DECORATION AND BOOKS RANGING FROM ACADEMIC STUDIES TO ENTERTAINING FOLKLORE.

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