Blog

Welcome to Behind the Lens, where we invite you to peer inside the inner workings of DHPSNY Planning & Assessment services to gain a deeper understanding of the assessment process and outcomes. You’ll also hear first-hand accounts from participating sites, offering their personal experiences and perspectives. 

We’re excited to kick off the series by spotlighting Preservation Surveys. Preservation Surveys are a crucial step in safeguarding valuable historical collections, as participation in this service…

Congratulations to the first DHPSNY Planning & Assessment Services Class of 2024! We're thrilled to embark on the new year alongside these ten exceptional sites, each representing a distinct county across the state. 

Click here to read the full press release.

Archival Needs Assessments

Queens Historical Society (Flushing, Queens County)
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Everyone involved in collections work has a role to play as an advocate for their care. DHPSNY's webinar A Strong Voice for Collections: Advocacy in Collections Care explores internal advocacy with a focus on collections care, securing time and funding for preservation initiatives and conservation treatment, and discussing opportunities for incorporating information about preservation into all institutional advocacy efforts.

Click here to view the recording. 
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In DHPSNY’s latest webinar, Mold: Prevention, Detection, and Response, Associate Preventative Conservator Maddie Cooper 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.

This is an updated version of a webinar presented by DHPSNY staff in 2018.

Click here to view the recording.
Click here to download the…

During our November Dialogue, “Northern Slavery Collective: A Framework for Inclusive History,” we had the chance to learn more about the Northern Slavery Collective from two member organizations: Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Alliance in Manhattan and Westport Museum of History and Culture in Westport, CT. Our co-facilitators, Melissa Kiewiet (Dyckman) and Ramin Ganeshram (Westport) shared stories from their own organizations’ experiences with the Northern Slavery Collective and the ways their organizations tell previously untold stories about…

Season's Greetings! As the year draws to a close, we are thrilled to present the 2023 edition of DHPSNY News, our annual print publication chronicling the team’s adventures delivering free programs and services to collecting organizations across the State. This year’s edition features a special message from the NYS Library and Archives alongside insightful interviews with Richard Sloma…

We're excited to announce that applications are open for DHPSNY Planning & Assessment Services, and the next submission deadline is Friday, March 8, 2024. Planning & Assessment services pair accepted organizations with DHPSNY staff to discuss current practices and set recommendations and goals specific to your capacity and needs. Final reports can be utilized to obtain funding, increase the accessibility and use of your collections, and more.

Visit dhpsny.org to learn…

In an effort to make the correspondence of Dr. John Torrey more accessible to researchers, the New York Botanical Garden initiated a project called Digitizing and Transcribing the John Torrey Papers: Natural Science and Exploration in 19th Century America. DHPSNY's webinar Stories from the Field: Transcribing the John Torrey Papers at the New York Botanical Garden highlights the process of this project; including the grant received, project goals, staffing, crowdsourcing process, and some of the pitfalls.

This webinar is a part of the "What Did You Do? Stories from the Field"…

As we head into the last few weeks of the year, perhaps the cadence of work is slowing. Many of us have time off on the calendar and plans to see family.  

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This November, join us for a 2-week immersive learning experience that will set your institution up for success in times of crisis. Participants will not only learn the essentials of emergency preparedness, but also have the opportunity to put their knowledge to task in an interactive exercise simulating a real collections emergency.

Dates: Monday, November 6 - Friday, November 17
Instructors: Kate Jacus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY; Liyah Desher, Education & Outreach Specialist, DHPSNY
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