Webinars & Online Courses

Batavia Public School; New York State Archives

• An Introduction to Antiracist Policies (September 8, 2022) 
  Presenters: Aria Camaione-Lind, Aria Strategies LLC and Meredith Horsford, Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
  In this webinar, co-facilitators Aria Camaione-Lind and Meredith Horsford will use the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Alliance as a case study to explore organizational policy that yields antiracist results. Aria and Meredith will introduce sample statements and policies that have supported antiracist action at other organizations, and invite conversation and participation around creating statements and policies for organizations in attendance.

• An Introduction to Documentary Heritage Program Grants (February 21, 2023) 
  Presenters: Heather Carroll, Archivist, Archival Advisory Services, New York State Archives; John Diefenderfer, Archivist, Archival Advisory Services, New York State Archives
  Are you considering a new project to improve access to your collections? Have you received an Archival Needs Assessment from DHPSNY? Do your collections capture the stories of marginalized communities? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you are a non-profit organization you should consider applying for funding from the New York State Archives to support your work. The New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Program (DHP) grants are designed to build more comprehensive and equitable documentation of New York State’s history and culture by supporting projects that identify, survey, collect, arrange, describe, and make available records that relate to groups and topics traditionally under-represented in the State’s historical record. In addition, the grants provide funding for recipients of DHPSNY Archival Needs Assessments.

• Antiracist Approaches to Collections Accessibility (September 14, 2023)
  Guiding Question: How can collecting organizations use antiracist approaches to make their collections as accessible as possible to their communities and public?
  This webinar invites participants to explore antiracist approaches to collections accessibility and interrogate strategies to operationalize these antiracist approaches. This presentation addresses approaches and strategies to share the contents of your collections, increase accessibility of your collections, and build capacity in your outreach efforts. This program is designed for people who work in or volunteer for museums, libraries, archives, and cultural heritage organizations and/or sites, and are looking for practical approaches and strategies to share their collections.

• Antiracism from the Indigenous Perspective: Practical Applications (March 9, 2023) 
  Presented by Aria Strategies LLC
  Museums, libraries, archives, and cultural heritage organizations are reckoning with their relationships to and with the indigenous communities of New York State. This program is designed for people who work in or volunteer for museums, libraries, archives, and cultural heritage organizations and sites, and are looking for practical opportunities to center indigenous voices, experiences, and perspectives in collections, programming, and community engagement.

• Board Governance: Committee Infrastructure (July 28, 2020) 
  Presenter: Susan Weinrich, Vice President of Organizational and Community Development, New York Council of Nonprofits
  Boards can use committees to get their work done effectively and efficiently- or they can become frustrated by the lack of leadership, engagement, and clearly defined purpose. This session will explore best practices and creative strategies for using committees to increase engagement, focus, and productively.

• Board Governance: Fund Development for Boards (July 14, 2020) 
  Presenter: Andrew Marietta, Vice President of Regional Development, New York Council of Nonprofits
  This session will provide an overview of how board members can foster a pro-active approach to financial resource development including policy making, planning, fundraising, and strategy development. We will also define and explore the various active roles board members can play as donors, ambassadors, advocates, and askers.

• Board Governance: Membership Program Revitalization (July 21, 2020) 
  Presenter: Andrew Marietta, Vice President of Regional Development, New York Council of Nonprofits
  Membership programs can offer plenty of benefits to organizations, however, it can be more difficult to build a thriving membership program than many nonprofits expect. This presentation will cover steps organizations can take to revitalize their membership programs, including understanding the value of a membership program; surveying the membership on their engagement; reviewing and reenergizing membership benefits; and rethinking the membership relationship from a transaction for benefits to an investment and partnership.

• Board Governance: Recruitment (July 7, 2020) 
  Presenter: Susan Weinrich, Vice President of Organizational and Community Development, New York Council of Nonprofits
  Board leadership and engagement isn’t happened upon through luck, nor is it something to be taken for granted. Board building should be an ongoing process with year-round activities and clear strategic goals. In this session we will explore board recruitment, engagement, and assessment, strategies, and identify and recognize what motivates board members to excel in their roles.

• Choose Your Own Adventure: A Metadata Assessment Tool for Oral History Projects (February 23, 2023)
  Presenters: Lauren Kata, Archivist and Academic Librarian, New York University Abu Dhabi; Natalie Milbrodt, Metadata Services Coordinator and Director of the Queens Memory Project, Queens Public Library; Steven Sielaff, Senior Editor & Collection Manager, Baylor University Institute for Oral History (BUIOH); Jaycie Vos, Special Collections Coordinator and University Archivist, University of Northern Iowa
  Since 2013, the Oral History Association Metadata Task Force (MTF) has developed tools for archivists and other practitioners to describe oral histories in their collections and to make informed metadata choices for legacy and new projects. In this program, the MTF will guide attendees through their metadata assessment toolkit, a process meant to help both new projects set up quickly with descriptive rigor, and offer longstanding projects a structured way to address missing pieces to their metadata puzzles. By the end of the session, attendees will be ready to bring knowledge back to their project teams and institutions.
  This program is for anyone working at any stage or in any role in an oral history project’s life cycle, as all practitioners have important questions to answer about what information they need to capture and preserve about their oral histories. The toolkit offers a holistic way of thinking about metadata that moves away from technical lingo and toward a shared understanding of what is useful to know about oral histories: no technical expertise is required for participation!

• Duties and Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards (November 27, 2018)
  Presenter: Susan Weinrich, Vice President of Organizational and Community Development, New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. 
  This session provides a broad overview of the fiduciary, ethical, and policy making responsibilities of the board. It covers the key functions of the board and provides practical guidance and an overview of best practices for board members to individually and collectively achieve excellence in governance performance. Participants will gain an understanding of how to develop and maintain an engaged board focused on ensuring mission alignment, planning for the organization’s future, ensuring adequate resources and strong financial oversight, and for those organizations with employees, building a strong working partnership with staff leadership.‌

• Funding: Crafting a Successful Narrative (February 5, 2019)
  Presenter: Lee Price, Director of Development, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  In DHPSNY’s second webinar in our funding series, learn more about crafting a successful narrative for your grant applications. With examples drawn from success stories at museums, historic sites, libraries, and archives, this webinar will explore the delicate balancing act of meeting all guideline requirements while telling a compelling story.

• ​Funding for Collections Care (October 6, 2016)
  Presenter: Lee Price, Director of Development, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  Viewers of this webinar will learn how to effectively develop and implement a funding strategy to raise money for collections, including the planning process that funders want to see in place and the elements of a successful grant proposal.

• Funding: New York State’s C/P and DHP Grants (October 2, 2018)
  Presenters: John Diefenderfer, Archival Advisory Services, New York State Archives; Barbara Lilley, Library Development Specialist, New York State Library
  This informational webinar presents two funding sources available to collecting institutions in New York through state funding: The New York State Discretionary Grant Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials (C/P Grants) and the Documentary Heritage Program (DHP) Grants. Presenters discuss eligibility, fundable activities, and the application process for their respective programs.

• Internal Advocacy (March 12, 2020) 
  Presenter: Dyani Feige, Director of Preservation Services, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  Advocacy is not only external—it is crucial for collecting institution staff to be able to advocate internally as well, to co-workers, board, and administration, in order to assure that resources are best allocated. This webinar will explore routes for both external and internal advocacy with a focus on collections care: securing time and funding for preservation initiatives and conservation treatment. It will also discuss opportunities for incorporating information about preservation into all advocacy efforts.

• Legal Issues: Copyright 101 for Archivists and Librarians (March 22, 2018)
  Presenter: Anne Karle-Zenith, Associate Director of Business Development, Metropolitan New York Library Council; Jennifer Palmentiero, Digital Services Librarian, Southeastern New York Library Resource Council
  This webinar provides an introduction to copyright law for archival and special collection managers. Fair use and special exemptions for libraries and archives are also covered. The presentation concludes with a discussion of copyright considerations related to deeds of gifts, donor agreements, reuse of collection materials, and permission and fee policies.

• Legal Issues: Ethics (March 21, 2019)
  Presenters: Clare Flemming, Consulting Archivist; Brandon Zimmerman, Consulting Archivist
  Collecting institutions are regularly faced with ethical decisions, from questions of access and privacy to authenticity and copyright in collections. This webinar will discuss some of the more common ethical issues and the professional codes of ethics governing archives and libraries.

• Legal Issues: Old Loans and Unknown Sources (February 26, 2018)
  Presenter: Erin Richardson, Director of Collections, Farmers’ Museum
  Designed for any staff or volunteers involved in collections care, this webinar is a primer on how institutions should address their trickier holdings: old loans, abandoned property, and materials “found in the collection.”

• Museum Chartering 101: What is Chartering? (April 15, 2021)  
  Presenter: Lauren Lyons, Chartering Coordinator, New York State Museum
  A museum or historical society in New York that wishes to organize as a nonprofit private education corporation must be issued a charter from the Board of Regents. But how does that process work? What are the different types of charters available? What are the benefits of being issued a charter? Join Lauren Lyons, Chartering Coordinator at the New York State Museum, to learn the answers to these questions and more.

• Museum Chartering 101: Mergers, Consolidations, and Dissolutions (May 20, 2021) 
  Presenter: Lauren Lyons, Chartering Coordinator, New York State Museum
  In order to combine resources or services, museums or historical societies might decide to merge or consolidate their charters. Or, due to various causes, an institution may decide to dissolve their charter altogether. Merging, consolidating, and dissolving charters are all actions that require an application process through the Board of Regents. Join Lauren Lyons, Chartering Coordinator at the New York State Museum, to learn more about the differences between consolidating and merging, what these application processes look like, and what the best options are for different circumstances.

• Security for Collections (March 21, 2017) 
  Presenter: Gillian Marcus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY
  This webinar provides an overview of collections security with a focus on protection from theft and vandalism. Topics will include secure storage, protection of materials while in use, and security policies and procedures.

• Stories from the Field: Oral Histories at Queens Memory Project (May 4, 2022) 
  Presenter: Natalie Milbrodt, Director, Queens Memory Project
  Founded in 2010, Queens Memory is a community archiving program supported by Queens Public Library and Queens College, CUNY that focuses on building their current archives by collecting oral histories from Queens residents. In this webinar, Natalie Milbrodt, Director of Queens Memory, will tell the story of establishing the program with a diverse set of stakeholders and challenges the team has faced that might be helpful to others in the process of growing their own oral history programs.

• Stories from the Field: Volunteer Management at Queens Memory Project (June 1, 2022)
  Presenter: Meral Agish, Community Coordinator, Queens Memory
  Volunteers are integral to many collecting institutions, providing time and insight that an organization may not otherwise have access to. However, many organizations have little or no formal process or program in place for managing a volunteer program. In this webinar, Meral Agish, Community Coordinator, will cover volunteer outreach and engagement, training, and retention at the Queens Memory Project.
   
• The Importance of Strategic Planning (October 16, 2017)
  Presenter: Susan Weinrich, Vice President of Organizational and Community Development, New York Council of Nonprofits
  Does your institution have a strategic plan? If not, this webinar will convince you to start the process!
   
• Understanding and Managing Liability Insurance Needs for Collecting Institutions (July 15, 2021) 
  Presenter: Andrew Marietta, VP, Regional Development, New York Council of Nonprofits
  When it comes to insurance, organizations have a focus on protecting themselves against financial loss from exposure to certain risks.  Understanding how best to manage organizational risks and do so with limited resources is the challenge every organization faces.  Join us for this overview on the role of insurance, the various types and considerations for risk management and protecting your organization.

• Understanding Antiracism as Collecting Organizations (March 10, 2022) 
  Presenters: Aria Anne Camaione-Lind, Ashley Gantt, & Amanda Smith, Aria Strategies LLC
  This program covers the very basics of what antiracism is, how we talk about it, it's history, and how we can use the principles of anti-racism to create more robust and engaging organizations. This webinar will include large group learning and discussion, building on prior experience and constituent interest, as well as participatory opportunities to understand the material more deeply.

• Using Historic Records in the Classroom: Consider the Source New York (November 10, 2022)
  Presenter: Jordan Jace, Assistant Director of Education and Development, Archives Partnership Trust
  ConsidertheSourceNY.org is a new online education resource from the New York State Archives Partnership Trust. The website provides access to thousands of primary sources and learning activities to help educators bring local historical records into their classroom. Local communities are filled with valuable, informative records that reflect the rich and diverse history of New York State. However, getting these resources into the hands of educators and students in a format that they can easily incorporate into the curriculum is often challenging. Join us to learn how you and your organization can make your records more accessible to educators and students.
   

Collections Care

• Back to the Basics: An Introduction to Environmental Monitoring (August 17, 2023)
  Presenters: Kelly Krish, Preventive Conservation and Sustainability Consultant, Sustainable Heritage; Christopher Cameron, Sustainability Consultant, Sustainable Heritage.
  Providing environmental controls is one of the greatest single steps an institution can take in preserving its collections. From mitigating environmentally-driven deterioration to understanding mechanical systems, this webinar will explore the importance of managing the collections environment and cover the steps needed to implement an environmental monitoring program.

• Black, White, and Read All Over: Addressing Newspaper in Collections (February 26, 2019) 
  Presenters: Gillian Marcus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY; Jennifer Palmentiero, Digital Services Librarian, Southeastern New York Library Resource Council
  Many collecting institutions have newspaper in their collections, from clippings to entire runs of publications. There are myriad issues with newspaper collections that can impede access to important information. This webinar will focus on the common problems with newspaper collections and what steps institutions can take to prevent deterioration. Presenters will also discuss the importance of digitization, microfilming and current programs that support this work for newspaper collections.

• Collections Care Basics (November 10, 2016)
  Presenter: Anastasia Matijkiw, Program Coordinator, DHPSNY
  This webinar provides an introduction to collections care basics through the ten agents of deterioration: physical force; theft and vandalism; fire; water; pests; pollutants; light; incorrect temperature; incorrect relative humidity; and custodial neglect.

• Common Collection Conditions: Assessing the Condition of Your Paper-Based Collections (April 2, 2020)  
  Presenter: Heather Hendry, Senior Paper Conservator, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  Every collection will have some condition issues, and every organization has limits on the level of collections care they can institute. However, by both understanding the overall condition of a collection and identifying urgent items, organizations can determine how to best allocate resources within an overall preservation plan. This webinar will discuss how to identify common condition problems found in paper objects and introduce five priority levels that can be utilized to categorize collection items based on the urgency of conservation needs.

• Common Collection Conditions: Assessing the Condition of Your Book Collections (April 20, 2020) 
  Presenter: Amber Hares, Book Conservator, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  The second presentation in our Common Collection Conditions series, this webinar discusses how to identify common condition problems found in book collections and introduce five priority levels that can be utilized to categorize collection items based on the urgency of conservation needs.

• Common Collection Conditions: Assessing the Condition of Your Collection's Housing (June 22, 2020) 
  Presenter: Benjamin Iluzada, Housing Technician, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  The third presentation in our Common Collection Conditions series, this webinar will discuss common housing issues found within an institution's collection, as well as recommendations for how to address them both in-house and externally.

• Common Collection Conditions: Assessing the Condition of Your Photograph Collections (September 17, 2020) 
  Presenter: Barbara Lemmen, Senior Photograph Conservator, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  The fourth presentation in our Common Collection Conditions series, this webinar will discuss how to identify common condition problems found in photograph collections and introduce five priority levels that can be utilized to categorize collection items based on the urgency of conservation needs.

• Demystifying Cold and Frozen Storage (January 24, 2018)
  Presenter: Barbara Lemmen, Senior Photograph Conservator, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  This webinar covers the types of materials that benefit most from or are unsuited to cold storage conditions, concentrating on photographic materials. The differences between cold and frozen systems, such as equipment types and preparation and access to a collection, are also explored.

• Environmental Monitoring: Getting Started (July 6, 2021) 
  Presenter: Chloe Houseman, Paper Conservator, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  What should you think about when establishing an environmental monitoring plan? What is a datalogger, and how do you select the right one? What are the basic tools needed to implement an environmental monitoring plan? Join Chloe Houseman, Paper Conservator at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, as she explores the importance of managing the environment in collections spaces and offers guidance on how to do so.

• Forget the Best: Good and Better Approaches to Preservation (February 15, 2022) 
  Presenter: Emilia Boehm Emig, Preservation Specialist, CCAHA
  While having a top-tier collections care program that adheres to best practices might be seen as a goal for your institution, the reality is that there are often barriers related to time, money, and staffing that prevent us from working to achieve the “best.” Using a model that breaks the larger best practices into smaller, attainable benchmarks, participants will be encouraged to think differently about how they approach collections care efforts. This webinar will explore instances in which it is perfectly appropriate for institutions to forgo the “best” in favor of “good” and “better” approaches to preservation that help them make incremental steps towards improved collections care.

• Good Housekeeping (January 23, 2019)
  Presenter: Amelia Parks, Archives Specialist, DHPSNY
  Having a regular housekeeping program is essential to the preservation of collections. Clean conditions are important for long-term collections care and for good emergency preparedness. This webinar will address how to develop and maintain a housekeeping program for small- and medium-sized institutions, including policies, schedules, and recommended cleaning products.

• Housing Material Basics (February 20, 2018) 
  Presenter: Gillian Marcus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY
  This webinar guides you through the process of becoming an informed consumer in an often confusing world of products marketed as “archival” or “conservation-grade.”

• Identifying Endangered Media Formats (June 30, 2021) 
  Presenter: Julia Novakovic, Archivist, The Strong National Museum of Play
  Endangered media formats such as floppy disks, u-matic tapes, and data tapes pose difficult preservation questions for collecting institutions. These increasingly obsolete media formats are sometimes pushed to the side when organizing and preserving archival collections, simply because we often don't know what to do with them. Join Julia Novakovic, Archivist at The Strong National Museum of Play, as she shares her experience with identifying and caring for endangered media formats. This webinar will also address topics such as developing surveys for media collections, finding reference information on these formats, and determining next steps for what you might want to do once you have these numbers.

• Introduction to Integrated Pest Management (April 6, 2017) 
  Presenter: Gillian Marcus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY
  This webinar provides an introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for cultural institutions. Topics include the basic principles of prevention, monitoring, identification, and response/recovery, as well as resources for setting up a pest management program.

• Lighting: Beyond Standards (April 30, 2020) 
  Presenter: Heather Hendry, Senior Paper Conservator, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
  Light is one of the ten agents of deterioration, making it especially crucial that collecting institutions know how to control and mitigate exposure to light during storage and exhibition. This webinar discusses basic principles of managing light exposure in collections, including identifying light sources commonly found in institutional storage, measuring and understanding visible and UV light values, current standards for light exposure during exhibition, and preventive measures to avoid unnecessary exposure to light. The light sensitivity of materials commonly held in archives, museums, and libraries is also discussed. Several case studies will show how small and large real world institutions have protected their collections.

• Mold: Prevention, Detection, and Response (December 14, 2023)
  Presenter: Maddie Cooper, Associate Preventive Conservator, CCAHA
  This webinar covers the basics of mold: what it is, why it happens to archival and library materials, how to recognize it, as well as strategies for prevention and recovery. Resources for responding to a mold outbreak are also discussed. This is an updated version of a webinar presented by DHPSNY staff in 2018 (below).

• Mold: Prevention, Detection, and Response (February 5, 2018)
  Presenter: Gillian Marcus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY
  This webinar covers the basics of mold: what it is, why it happens to archival and library materials, how to recognize it, as well as strategies for prevention and recovery. Resources for responding to a mold outbreak are also discussed. Note: In the slide titled “Inactivating Mold: Freezing,” it should say “Below -20°C/-4°F”  instead of “Below -20°F.”

• Not-So-Impossible Choices: Determining Priorities for Collection Salvage (March 30, 2023)
  Presenter: Dyani Feige, CCAHA Director of Preservation Services
  Identifying collections materials that are priorities for salvage is an important part of an organization’s emergency preparedness and response plan. Often in an emergency, we cannot save it all, and decisions will have to be made. But how do we go about choosing what items to save first? This can seem like a daunting task, but by establishing guidelines and planning, collection salvage priorities can become not-so-impossible choices. In this webinar, we’ll look at what makes collections most vulnerable to damage and how that can inform our parameters for salvage priorities. Types and formats of materials to prioritize during recovery efforts will be discussed, along with how this information can be used to benefit an institution’s emergency preparedness.

• Photographs in the Archive: Caring for Photographic Collections (April 22, 2021) 
  Presenter: Amanda Murray, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY
  From tintypes to color prints, photographic collections require specific collections care methods. In this presentation, Preservation Specialist Amanda Murray offers guidance on basic preservation of photographic collections, including strategies for storage, housing, and handling.

• Photographs in the Archive: Photo Album Preservation (December 7, 2021) 
  Presenter: Barbara Lemmen, Senior Photograph Conservator, CCAHA
  If your institution houses any family history collections, chances are you have some photo albums stored in your stacks. Preserving photo albums poses unique challenges, as you need to be able to care for both the photographs inside and the book itself. In this webinar, Barbara Lemmen, Senior Photograph Conservator at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, will go over some basic preservation techniques to help care for photo albums in your collection. Topics covered will include handling techniques, storage and housing recommendations, and resources for dealing with condition problems. This webinar is a part of an ongoing series, Photographs in the Archive, which highlights preservation strategies for photographic collections.

• Preservation in Exhibits (January 11, 2018) 
  Presenter: Amelia Parks, Archives Specialist, DHPSNY
  This webinar covers strategies for planning and installing exhibits of archival collections using preservation quality materials and following best practices for preservation strategies.

• Space Planning: Getting Started (April 16, 2020) 
  Presenter: Maria Holden, Preservation Officer, New York State Office of Cultural Education
  Archives, libraries, and museums of all sizes face challenges when considering how to make the most of collections storage spaces, particularly when space is limited. The presenter will discuss strategies for making the most of precious storage space as well as ways to prioritize best practices and current standards for housing and storing institutional collections.

• Stories from the Field: Implementing Cold Storage Solutions at Storm King Art Center (September 1, 2021) 
  Presenter: Christine Persche, Archivist, Storm King Art Center
  Implementing cold storage solutions at your institution can pose unique challenges. Obtaining funding, purchasing equipment, packaging collections, and figuring out how to monitor temperatures are just a few of the hurdles involved in this process. In this webinar, Christine Persche will share insight and lessons learned from the implementation of cold storage solutions at Storm King Art Center.

• Stories from the Field: Mold at RPI (October 19, 2020) 
  Presenters: Tammy Gobert, Preservation and Access Archivist, Institute Archives and Special Collections,  RPI
  Jenifer Monger, Assistant Institute Archivist, Institute Archives and Special Collections, RPI
  Dealing with a large mold outbreak is one of the most difficult situations an institution can face; in this webinar, staff from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Library share insight and lessons learned after they tackled a large mold outbreak in the collections.

• Temperature & Relative Humidity in Collections Care (March 12, 2019) 
  Presenter: Gillian Marcus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY
  Providing stable environmental controls is one of the most important steps an institution can take to preserve its collections.  As strict parameters for temperature and relative humidity can be expensive and difficult to implement for many institutions, efforts should be focused on maintaining environmental conditions that are attainable, sustainable, and cost-effective over the long term.  This webinar will cover the impact temperature and relative humidity can have on collections, as well as ways to mitigate the risks posed by fluctuations or extremes.  Establishing and maintaining an environmental monitoring program will also be addressed.