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Preservation 101 is a 3-week hybrid course. The course is intended for individuals who manage cultural collections, with a focus on individuals who are new to preservation practices, may not have had formal preservation training, or are looking to refresh their knowledge of preservation basics.

This online course will present specific preservation topics under larger themes that speak to the related nature of this work. Specific topics covered include storage and housing for various paper materials; environmental considerations and monitoring; exhibition…

Language is important — whether written or spoken, the words we use to convey our thoughts and ideas have an impact on those who read and hear them. The Purdue Online Writing Lab addresses the use of academic language by noting that “inappropriate language uses can damage your credibility, undermine your argument, or alienate your audience.” Ensuring that you’re using appropriate and inclusive language for any given audience is essential.

It can be difficult to…

As we wrap up this calendar year, we wanted to follow up on the Annual Check-In post for this blog series, from August of this year, to let readers know that the DHPSNY website Resources page has been updated to include our compiled Antiracism Resources Series Links. This google spreadsheet is linked under the DHPSNY Blog section of…

We're excited to present the Fall 2021 issue of DHPSNY News, our annual publication. This year’s issue chronicles the DHPSNY team's adventures delivering free programs and services in The Empire State, including highlights from the past year and what we have in store for the future. Additional features include interviews with SUNY Fredonia Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives Mandi Shepp, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Akwesasne Heritage Complex Project Developer Gail McDonald, and DHPSNY Education…

In our final webinar presentation of 2021, Barbara Lemmen, Senior Photograph Conservator at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, explored the unique challenges that occur when preserving photo albums. This presentation covered basic preservation techniques to help care for photo albums in your collection, such as handling techniques, storage and housing recommendations, and resources for dealing with condition problems.

Click here to view the recording. 
Click here to…

In our most recent live webinar presentation, Julie Kemper, Curator for Object Learning, Kentucky Historical Society and Bill Bright, Curator, International Museum of the Horse, discussed steps to take when choosing a Collections Management System (CMS) for your institution. Choosing a CMS can be daunting for any institution as every institution has different needs for a CMS and there are lots of great systems on the market. When choosing a CMS, everything from staff size and make up, to hardware capabilities, to public use must be considered. No one wants to end up with a CMS that…

In our recent live webinar presentation titled “Creating Physical Access: Setting Handling Guidelines,” Amanda Murray, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY, discussed writing handling guidelines, training both staff and researchers on how to properly handle materials, determining specific guidelines for particularly fragile materials, and housing considerations for heavily used materials. This presentation covered Setting safe boundaries for physical access to collections and how to balance care and access.

Click here to view the recording.…

The  Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, dedicated to preserving the Mohawk’s dynamic, influential culture, was awarded Strategic Planning Assistance in 2019 and became the first Federally Recognized Tribe to receive DHPSNY services. Then, in 2020, they were awarded a DHPSNY Archival Needs Assessment, which examined their archival program holistically through an external lens. In this interview, we caught up with Gail McDonald, Akwesasne Heritage Complex Project Developer, to learn about their DHPSNY experience and busy year-to-date. This is the unabridged version of the article…

Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY) is Introducing DHPSNY Webinars in Spanish

Connected by subject matter, the webinars “Finding Aid Basics: An Introduction to DACS” (April 26, 2017) and “Finding Aids: Tools and Tips for Basic Description” (August 25, 2021) are able to be viewed with Neutral US Spanish subtitle translations. These webinars are available for free on DHPSNYs…

Whether your relocation project requires moving objects within your building, to temporary storage, or to a new institution; moving collections can be a big undertaking for institutions. In this presentation, Maria Holden, Retired, spoke about a project from 2017, where a team from the New York State Archives moved roughly 1500 cubic feet of civil court records from the New York County Clerk's Office in New York City to the New York State Archives in Albany. The collection included 1,100 boxes of records, around 900 volumes that were not in boxes, and about 500 rolls of microfilm to be…