College Collections

Archives. The Luther College archives holds primary source material of enduring value related to the college, its faculty, alumni and founding congregations. Over 1,800 linear feet of institutional records, personal papers, photographs and other media are available for research projects, curricula development and special events. The archives endowment fund provides additional support for special projects. The reading room is located on the third floor of Preus Library. Rachel Vagts is the College Archivist.

Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections. Koren and Preus Library house a rich collection of archaeological materials, an extensive ethnographic collection, and a numismatic collection containing ancient Greek and Roman coins, as well as historic and modern coins and notes. The archaeological collection consists of more than a million prehistoric and historic artifacts from nearly 400 Native American and Euro-American sites in Iowa and the Upper Midwest. Of particular interest are materials from northeast Iowa sites collected by the late Gavin Sampson of Decorah. The Sampson collection is a significant resource for research on northeast Iowa prehistory. The ethnographic collection consists of nearly a thousand artifacts collected from living cultures around the world between the 1880s and 1920s. The majority of the items are representative of Native American cultures, including Inuit, Sioux, Mandan, Pueblo, Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Chippewa, and Seminole peoples. Other ethnographic materials present in the collection are from Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. The archaeological and ethnographic collections are supported in part by an endowed fund established for the purpose of managing and maintaining a material culture resource for the Luther College community, for education outreach services for the community at large, and for use by outside professionals and students engaged in scholarly research. These collections are administered by anthropology faculty member Colin Betts, and laboratory and collections manager Chad Landsman.

Fine Arts Collection. Over 1,600 items comprise the Luther College Fine Arts Collection, anchored by extensive holdings representing the works of Herbjørn Gausta, Marguerite Wildenhain, and Gerhard Marcks. Almost one-half of the collection is on circulating display throughout the campus. Management of the collection is supported by the Art Department and two endowments. The fine arts collection website, https://www.luther.edu/finearts/, provides a detailed description of the collection with images. The collection is administered by art historian Kate Elliott and gallery coordinator David Kamm.

Geology Collection. Several thousand rock, mineral and fossil specimens are contained within the geological collection. Housed in Valders Hall of Science, the collection is supported by an endowment and administered by environmental studies faculty member Laura Peterson.

Hoslett Museum of Natural History. The Hoslett collections contain over 5,000 vertebrate specimens, including the P. B. Peabody–Frances C. Bordner Memorial Bird Egg and Nest Collection; the vertebrate collections are housed in Valders Hall of Science. Also part of the Hoslett collections are over 1,000 plant specimens, including the Alois F. Kovarik Memorial Plant Collection, and over 7,000 insect and other invertebrate specimens; the herbarium and insect collections are housed in Sampson Hoffland Laboratories. Support of the Hoslett Museum and its programs is provided in part by the Sherman A. Hoslett Memorial Endowment Fund (established in 1972) and by the Endowed Fund for the Luther College Natural History Collections (established 1999). Biology faculty member Tex Sordahl is director of the Hoslett Museum. The herbarium and insect collections are administered by faculty members Beth Lynch and Kirk Larsen, respectively.