Created as part of the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences in 1973, the Environmental Sciences Division remained part of DHES from 1974 to 1990, during which time they were responsible for monitoring air quality and water quality, solid waste management, administering the Subdivision Bureau, and ensuring food and consumer safety, and occupational health. In 1991, though still a part of the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, the role of the Environmental Sciences Division was considerably expanded to include: Natural Resource Damage Assessment, a Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board, a Superfund Section, and an Underground Storage Tanks Section.
The Environmental Sciences Division became its own separate department, renamed the Department of Environmental Quality, in 1995, and was comprised of the following divisions: Director’s Office, Air Quality, Centralized Services, Energy, Environmental Remediation, Reclamation, Waste Management, and Water Quality. Under DHES’s Centralized Services, the Office of Information Technology had been referred to as the Information Services Bureau; after the split in 1995, the ISB became the DEQ, Information Technology Bureau. In 2000, the ITB became the Systems Administration Bureau and the Systems Solutions Bureau. In 2004, the Systems Administration Bureau and the Systems Solutions Bureau were rejoined as Information Technology Services.
What is currently referred to as the Office of Information Technology (OIT) functions as part of the Deputy Director’s office, and exists to provide systems administration, applications development and support services to the department and its regional offices. The office is responsible for the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of comprehensive statewide information technology solutions. Responsibilities include short term and long range planning, management reporting, budgetary planning, resource allocation, and development of policies and procedures. The Office of Information Technology is also responsible for administration of the department's web sites.
This collection is composed of minutes and subject files. Minutes are for the Information Technology Board (ITB), the Information Technology Governance Board, the Information Technology Managers Council (ITMC), the Montana Geographic Information Council (MGIC), and the Montana Land Information Advisory Council (MLIA). Subject files include information on the Information Technology Work Group (ITWG), ITMC biennial report, and an organization chart for the OIT. Both the minutes and the subject files in this collection are primarily concerned with information technology planning for the state of Montana, and other information technology issues.
This collection is arranged by series.
Collection is open for research.
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Library & Archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Library & Archives before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 494, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Environmental Quality's various Divisions and
Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.