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To celebrate Black History Month, we want to highlight some specific resources and events that are happening around New York State. While we believe in centering and promoting Black history throughout the year, this is a great time to get more familiar with historic collections, organizations, and new discoveries that feature the essential role of African Americans in American history.

First, we’re amplifying some educational resources created by the Archives Partnership Trust with the New York State Archives…

We're excited to announce a new Planning & Assessment Services class from our fall 2021 application round as well as a new cohort of Foundational Planning Assistance awardees! We look forward to beginning virtual site visits and assistance for the following institutions in the coming months!

Click here to read the full press release.

Archival Needs Assessments

Mina Rees Library, CUNY Graduate…

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the first DHPSNY Dialogue session on January 13, 2022. The Dialogue was facilitated by the team at ARIA Strategies LLC, including Aria Camaione-Lind, Ashley Gantt, and Amanda Smith, and focused on creating a baseline for discussion about Antiracism, Inclusion, and Making Sense of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Justice in our Field of archives, libraries, and all kinds of historical collecting organizations. 

The facilitators began with creating group agreements…

In our most recent live webinar presentation, Amanda Shepp, Coordinator of Special Collections and Archives, SUNY Fredonia, explored the intricacies of updating existing policies and procedures and how to start the process of creating new ones. This presentation answered questions such as: How often should policies be updated? How do you establish a schedule for this? When should you update a policy versus start over? 

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

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…