Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
GIBSON, Michael D.
GIBSON, Michael D. (Pocatello, ID, September 22, 1947--). Archivist, local historian. B.A. (History) Idaho State University, M.A. (History) LORAS COLLEGE, graduate of the Modern Archives Institute, The National Archives. Before coming to Dubuque, Gibson served as a Research Associate/Administrative Assistant to the Director of the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City and as Book Review Editor for The Annals of Iowa. Since 1983, he has been the Director of the Center for Dubuque History/College Archivist at Loras College.
For over 30 years, the Center for Dubuque History at Loras College has served thousands of patrons who have come from all parts of the world to use the vast resources archived in the collections. Researchers have included elementary school pupils, high school and college students, novelists, movie producers, TV/radio station reporters, university scholars, historic preservationists, city, state and county departmental employees, archaeologists, geologists, environmentalists, journalists, publishers, genealogists, and local history buffs to name a few. Inquiries regarding local history arrive via mail, phone, and e-mail as well as in-person visitors. The mission of the CDH is to collect, organize, preserve, and provide materials for research; to conduct research of local interest; to publish studies of local history interest; offer special courses, workshops, lectures, and presentations for those interested in local history; and to provide internship and volunteer opportunities in archival studies. The Center continues to provide all of these services as the area’s largest local history research center.
Among the types of material housed in the collection are manuscripts, diaries, ledgers, newspapers, an obituary index, photographs, slides, picture post cards, oral histories, videos and DVD’s, plat books, atlases, books, city directories, and maps. Today, the CDH is the only local history research center affiliated with a college or university in the state of Iowa. This is one aspect which makes Loras College unique which is appropriate for Iowa’s oldest college.
In addition to being the Director of the CDH, Mr. Gibson continues to be highly involved in related activities. Since 1989, he has served on the governor-appointed Iowa Historical Records Advisory Board and on the Documentary Collections grant panel for the Historic Resource Development Program (HRDP). He has served on state, county, and municipal boards and commissions including the Board of Directors of the State Historical Society, Dubuque County Historical Society Board of Directors, the Carnegie-Stout Public Library Board, Dubuque County Historic Preservation Commission, and the Friends of the Mines of Spain Board of Directors. At Loras College he has served on the Loras Staff Organization, Planning Council, Heritage, and Benefits Committees.
Also active in community theater, Gibson is a charter member of the American Association of Community Theater, Iowa Community Theater Association, Dubuque County Fine Arts Players, Grand Opera House and is currently President of the Fly-By-Night Productions Board of Directors. He is also active in various professional affiliations including the Society of American Archivists (SAA), Midwest Archives Conference (MAC), Iowa Conference of Archivists of Catholic Institutions, Organization of American Historians (OAH), Western History Association (WHA), American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) and the Dubuque County/Key City Genealogical Society.
Gibson is co-author of the Mines of Spain: In Its Historical Context, 1985; contributing writer, Faith & Fortunes: An Encyclopedia of Dubuque County, 1998; and contributing writer for The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa, 2008. He has written articles for The Palimpsest, The Annals of Iowa, Julien’s Journal, and the Journal of Popular Culture. He is included in Who’s Who in the Midwest, and has won the Loren Horton Community History Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa for his role in producing a local history based multi-media educational kit. Designed for elementary children and now a part of the Dubuque Community School’s third grade curriculum, the kit is entitled Dubuque’s Heritage: Life in Our Own Backyard. He also received an award from the American Association of State & Local History for exemplary service to local history.
Gibson is married. His wife, Dr. Teresa Eckhart, is a physician and the senior partner in Dubuque OB-GYN, PC. They are parents of four children, William, Wade, Dana, and Drew. Besides enjoying history, Gibson is a collector of books about his native state of Idaho, an amateur actor, a basketball fan, and an avid auto racing fan and former stock car owner.