DHPSNY Begins Serving New York State’s Libraries and Archives

Philadelphia, PA (September 6, 2016) – Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY) is a statewide program established to support the vast network of non-government, unique library and archival repositories that safeguard New York’s historical records.

With the launch of DHPSNY’s website, dhpsny.org, qualifying New York organizations can apply for free training and services, including archival needs assessments, preservation and conservation surveys, and strategic planning guidance. Applications are now available, and recipients of DHPSNY’s planning and assessment services will be selected by a competitive review process led by an advisory committee of library, archives, and conservation professionals.

DHPSNY also offers free education programs for eligible institutions, including a series of webinars and a number of one-on-one workshops delivered to locations throughout the state. The first webinar is September 15th at 2 PM and has been designed specifically for organizations to learn more about DHPSNY’s services and this five-year initiative to systematically document, preserve, and make accessible historical records cared for by the state‘s collecting institutions.

The website will soon feature more resources to encourage interaction between organizations, including a message board and comprehensive online directory of New York’s libraries and archives. In addition, DHPSNY is developing a mentorship program designed to educate as well as build relationships among repositories in the state.

DHPSNY will also lead a documentation planning project for the state of New York. The resulting plan will enrich New York’s historical record by helping repositories throughout the state to identify, survey, collect, and make available historical records relating to under-documented groups and topics.

Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York is a collaboration between two long-running New York state programs dedicated to service and support for archival and library research collections throughout the state: the New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Program and the New York State Library Conservation/Preservation Program. DHPSNY is a program of the New York State Education Department, with services provided through a contract with the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts.