University of Idaho Library Launches Digital Collection of Idaho Falls Reporter Ben J. Plastino’s Papers
The University of Idaho Library has launched a new digital collection this spring that opens a significant window into Idaho’s political and journalistic history, making the papers of longtime Idaho Falls reporter and editor Ben J. Plastino accessible to researchers, historians, and the general public for the first time on an easily navigable online platform.
The Ben J. Plastino Papers Digital Collection, available at lib.uidaho.edu/digital/plastino, spans the years 1947 to 1998 and includes more than 900 political articles and opinion pieces authored by Plastino during his career at the Idaho Falls Post Register. Beyond his published writings, the collection features photographs, correspondence with elected officials, and copies of books Plastino authored — together presenting a multifaceted record of Idaho public life during a period of considerable change.
A Career Rooted in Idaho Journalism
Plastino’s connection to the University of Idaho runs deep. He graduated from UI with a degree in journalism in 1932 and went on to work for nearly a decade at the Lewiston Morning Tribune before joining the Post Register staff in Idaho Falls, where he would spend more than five decades covering the state’s political landscape.
His reporting touched on a wide range of issues that shaped Idaho’s public life, including education funding, tax policy, election systems, and state symbols. His sustained coverage of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory throughout the 1980s is among the collection’s most notable bodies of work, reflecting the complex and often divided views held by legislators and the public regarding nuclear waste management, economic incentives for the facility, and the broader future of nuclear energy in Idaho.
The digital collection also offers researchers a rare look at Plastino’s personal correspondence with some of the most prominent political figures of the 20th century. Among the items available online are personal letters from George H.W. Bush — including a handwritten note dated 1978, when Bush was launching his 1980 presidential bid — as well as correspondence from Nancy Reagan, Idaho Senator Frank Church, and former Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus, among many others.
Photographs in the collection further illustrate Plastino’s access to political power. One undated image shows Senator Bob Saxvik, Governor John Evans, Northwest Power Planning Council member Chris Carlson, and BPA administrator Peter Johnson together — a snapshot of the regional policy networks that defined Idaho governance during the era.
Preserving the Intersection of Journalism and Idaho Politics
According to Dulce Kersting-Lark, head of special collections and archives at the University of Idaho Libraries, the collection serves as both a historical record and a case study in the practice of political journalism. By presenting these materials in a searchable digital format, the library has dramatically expanded access to resources that were previously confined to physical archives.
The collection can be explored by subject matter, chronological order, or by individual political figure, making it a practical research tool for those interested in journalism, political science, and regional history. Individual articles address the full sweep of Idaho legislative debates and elections across five decades, documenting not only the decisions made by those in power but the processes, public sentiments, and political pressures that shaped those decisions.
The launch of the Plastino collection reflects a broader effort by the University of Idaho Library to preserve and digitize materials that document the state’s civic heritage. For a state with a strong agricultural tradition and deep roots in independent, community-driven governance, the written record left by reporters like Plastino represents an irreplaceable resource. The University of Idaho has also highlighted student work in recent months through events like the Moscow Furniture Show, underscoring the institution’s continued investment in both its academic programs and its role as a keeper of Idaho’s institutional memory.
Those wishing to explore the collection can visit lib.uidaho.edu/digital/plastino to browse Plastino’s writings, photographs, and correspondence. The University of Idaho Library continues to be a leading institution for historical preservation in the region, and for more Idaho education and university news, readers can follow coverage at Idaho News.
What Comes Next
The Ben J. Plastino Papers Digital Collection is now live and available to the public at lib.uidaho.edu/digital/plastino. The University of Idaho Library has indicated that the platform allows users to search by subject, politician, or date range, making the collection accessible to a wide audience from researchers and educators to history enthusiasts across Idaho and beyond. No timeline has been announced for additional acquisitions or expansions to the collection.