Oklahoma State University Library has recently announced the digitization of Volume II of Charles J. Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, originally published in 1903-04. Unlike some digitization projects, which though valuable and worthwhile have a limited audience, Kappler's seven-volume set of government documents is in high demand by various users, such as Native peoples, researchers, journalists, legislators, and teachers. Before this project began, however, there were only five usable copies in the state of Oklahoma. Once the project is finished (Volumes I and III will be completed by the end of the year), "the complete legal text of all treaties between the United States Government and sovereign Indian nations will be available free of charge to anyone with a computer." This first release contains the full text of 380 treaties concerning Native American Indian tribes, organized by year. The site also includes an index and keyword search engine. An excellent project and a superb example of the utility and potential of free electronic reference information.
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