Hunter
10/07/25
The State of Iowa has begun moving some of the documents from the State Historical Society’s Iowa City facility, despite a lawsuit aimed at blocking the move.
Former University of Iowa historian and archivist David McCartney told the Gazette Monday that he and the other plaintiffs in the suit don’t know what provisions, if any, are being made for caring for the materials.
The documents are being moved with help from prison inmates.
McCartney claims the items are being moved without any apparent real preparation.
Earlier this year, the Iowa City Research Center will close to the public at the end of December and either relocate its collections to Des Moines or to “partner repositories across the state.”
The move has begun, despite a court hearing scheduled for next week. The plaintiffs are hoping a judge will eventually make the temporary injunction blocking the move a permanent one. The state is fighting back, filing motions to dismiss the case, block the temporary injunction, and remove named individuals as defendants.