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Statement of Potentially Harmful Content and Language

The Wyoming State Archives preserves government and non-government records that have enduring administrative, legal, fiscal, historical, and/or research significance.  Archival collections provide a record of the functions and activities of the state’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, as well as document the history of Wyoming and the region, and serve as a resource that encourages and supports administrative and educational research. As a result of documenting human expression and lived experience, some of the content may include outdated, biased, offensive, and harmful audio/visual materials and language. Inclusion of such content and language in the Wyoming State Archives is not an endorsement of its language, images, or ideology, and does not reflect the official position of the Wyoming State Archives. 

The State Archives strives to approach all areas of its work in a respectful manner to all members of our community while also upholding the context and integrity of records as evidence of a time, people, place, or event. When we encounter problematic language that we believe an archivist created, we update it. Language that comes from the original archival material can provide information about the people who created it and is not altered. In such cases, additional context may be provided. The State Archives is committed to working with staff, communities, and peer institutions to assess and update descriptions that are harmful and to establish standards and policies to prevent future harmful language in staff-generated descriptions.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about materials in the archives and how materials are described.

More information coming soon detailing our policies and procedures!

Oral History and Digitization Toolkits

Considering a digitization project or community scanning event but need equipment? Is there a member of your community who has extensive knowledge that you want to capture as an oral history? We are here to help!

The Wyoming Digitization Toolkits contain a laptop, scanner, and CD drive to assist organization in starting digitization projects. Kits may be used to digitize documents and photographic prints up to 8.5x11, some negative formats (35mm, 110, 120, 220), and 35mm slides. An external CD drive is also included to assist in migrating files from CDs and DVDs to more reliable storage options. The laptop is also loaded with software to help with image correction, audio and video editing, bulk file renaming, and more.

• Digitization Toolkit request form, https://forms.gle/fzPjeHjmXbvge7568. 

We also have Wyoming Oral History toolkits to capture stories from members of your community. The oral history toolkits include a digital recorder, 2 microphones, tripod with carrying case, SD card reader, guidebooks for conducting oral histories, and examples of release forms.

• Oral History Toolkit request form, https://forms.gle/h8f7hp71BRthLPn96.

Kits may be loaned for 3 months at a time, with the option to extend for another 3 months if the kit is not spoken for.

These toolkits are provided by the Wyoming State Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) and Wyoming State Archives. The toolkits were supported in part by an award from the SHRAB, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives and Records Administration.

We hope you have as much fun using them as we did planning them!

Questions? Contact Sara Davis, Wyoming State Archivist at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For Board Members

Upcoming meetings and minutes of past meetings >> (link opens in new tab/window)

Bylaws >> (link opens in new tab/window)

Board information >> (link opens in new tab/window)

I ❤ WSA

Hear stories from people who have found answers to their questions in the Wyoming State Archives

Basic Recordkeeping Tips for Nonprofit Organizations

We understand that many of the staffs of nonprofit organizations in Wyoming do not have the time necessary to learn the ins and outs of the preferred methods of storing, handling, and keeping their records. With that in mind, we would like to offer a few tips to get you headed in the right direction. We have included some links to additional detailed information if you would like to learn more.

Every organization has records that it should keep to document its history. Meeting minutes, photographs taken at events, and articles in newspapers and magazines just to name a few. There are certain things you can do to help prolong the life of your records. We have listed some here.

• Store your records in a controlled environment whenever possible. Wide ranges of temperature and humidity are bad for all kinds of records.
• Keep your records off the floor. Water has a way of finding them there.
• Scan or photocopy news clippings you intend to keep for a long time. Newspapers deteriorate quickly.
• Handle photographs and negatives with care, touching only the edges when possible.
• Do not glue photographs into scrapbooks and be wary of commercially available photo albums. Store your photos using acid-free materials whenever possible.
• Any time you replace a computer or upgrade your software, open and save your computer files (PDF-A is the current recommended format for long term preservation)
• Create backup copies of your electronic records. If a server is not available to you, consider purchasing an external hard drive to use to store copies of your electronic records. If possible store the external hard drive away from your computer.
• Consider donating your records to an archives, let them do the preservation work for you.

To learn more about preservation:
Northeast Document Conservation Center Preservation Leaflets
Library of Congress

Records management simply means deciding what to keep and how long to keep it. No organization has the space to keep everything and here are some guidelines to help make the decision about what to keep and not to keep easier.

Keep these:

• Constitution, bylaws, articles of incorporation
• Photographs of events
• Meeting minutes
• Annual reports
• Media publicity
• Financial Reports/Audits

Consider discarding these:

• Duplicate copies
• Superseded blank forms
• Things not related to your organization (supply catalogs, for instance)

To learn more about records management:

This is between you and the IRS, but here is a link you may find useful in preparing your Form 990. Tax information for Charities & Other Non-Profits

Feel free to contact us if you would like more information. If we do not know the answer, we probably know someone who does. We would be happy to hear from you.

Wyoming State Archives
Barrett Building
2301 Central Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82002

Phone: (307) 777-7826
E-mail