Anyone with Internet Access Can See Interesting Views of Albany

COLLECTION OF HISTORIC ALBANY PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

Albany Public Library has a rich and varied collection of historic Albany photos that is now available to view online through New York Heritage Digital Collections -- a free online portal designed for researchers and history buffs. The site -- nyheritage.org -- is now showcasing two small APL collections: "Views of Albany" and "Urban Renewal in Albany."

Views of Albany showcases a selection of black and white photographs that are mostly from the early 20th century. This collection shows the homes, churches, businesses, weather events, transportation, streets, and people of Albany's past.

Urban Renewal in Albany is an album of photographs and captions that was handmade in 1976 by Florence L. Powell, a historical research assistant for the city of Albany. Powell's album is composed of before-and-after pictures of the Clinton Square area during the urban renewal era. The scrapbook documents the demolition of buildings, the reshaping of streets, and the construction of Interstate 787 and the Leo W. O'Brien Office Building.

The library will continue to add photos to the New York Heritage online collection. These images are just a sample of APL's full Pruyn Collection of Albany History, which is housed in the Albany History Room at the Main Library and includes documents about urban renewal, the South Mall construction, city and state government, and African American history. The Pruyn Collection is comprised of thousands of books, photographs, city directories, newspapers, documents, census records, city council minutes, maps, and more. For more information, please call 427-4303.

Internet Wading: Learning history

From AmeriNZ:

History is nothing more or less than telling the stories of people in the past. It’s not about dates and events alone, but about the people who live through them—their hopes and fears and dreams, their triumphs, their failures and everything else that marks the passage of their lives.

The problem is that so much of history is hidden. Professional historians focus on what interests them (and fair enough), and also sometimes skip over things that don’t mesh well with their beliefs or prejudices. This is how so much history of minorities is lost.

NYPL History Blog

Bob Sink is "researching the lives of the 150+ librarians who headed a neighborhood branch of the New York Public Library during the first 50 years of its branch system, 1901-1950." He started a blog last year, NYPL-Librarians to report his research.

He writes:

"The blog will include information on my demographic study of the librarians; the autonomy the branch librarians (all but 6 were women) achieved within a male-run institution and then lost beginning in the 1930s; the process of racially integrating the staff starting in 1920; and the librarians' publication patterns.

"I’m also writing short profiles of the librarians and post them on their birthdays. The hope is that a descendant doing family history research might contact me after coming across the entry, and I may be able to get access to additional personal data, or reminiscences or even letters.

"I’ll also use the blog as an outlet for interesting vignettes, such as the post about a librarian’s assessment of the impact of the Milton Berle TV show on the High Bridge neighborhood in the Bronx in 1950.

"I welcome any comments or suggestions you might have."

Judges needed for Capital Region History Day competition

Are you interested in being a judge for this year’s regional National History Day (NHD) competition? The competition takes place on Saturday, March 24 at the New York State Museum from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. About 50 judges are needed. This year’s National History Day theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.”

Please email archedu@mail.nysed.gov by Friday, March 2nd if you would like to be a judge. If you know of someone else who might like to be a judge, please share this message with them.

If you are interested, and if you have a preference, please indicate what grade level and type of project you would like to judge. NYS Archives will do its best to meet your request. Choices for judging include: junior (grades 6-8) or senior division (grades 9-12); individual or group projects; and either papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or web sites.

The best NHD judges have several common characteristics, they are:
kind, fair, listen well, and most importantly, are able to let the students be the experts for the day, no matter how uniquely they may have interpreted history!!!

All judges will work in teams. The time commitment for judges is from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Awards are usually announced at 3:00 PM. If you can stay for the award ceremony, it is well worth the extra time. The energy and excitement are infectious!

Food will be provided for all judges.

If you would like more information about National History Day, here’s a link to the National site (www.nhd.org) and the New York site (www.nyshistoryday.org). The New York site will provide more information about the regional competitions.

This is a fun, but intense experience for the students and for the judges. Please consider sharing your time on this exciting day.

From Emily Allen
Archives and Records Management Specialist II New York State Archives Archival Services
9B31 CEC
Albany, NY 12230
(518) 473-9984
eallen@mail.nysed.gov
www.archives.nysed.gov
Look for New York State Archives on Twitter and Facebook.

Albany History Fair

The 12th Annual Albany History Fair will be held on Sunday, May 15 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Albany Visitors Center (Intersection of Clinton Avenue and Broadway). The theme of this year's fair is "Commerce in New York's Capital City". Highlights include music provided by Old Songs, Cherry Hill's Hudson River Trade Game: Albany's Connection to the World, a walking tour by City Historian Tony Opalka, displays by local historical organizations and more.
The event is being held in conjunction with Heritage Weekend, a now annual statewide celebration. The Times Union continues to serve as media sponsor, and Hudson River Construction Company has provided generous support.
There will also be an Underground Railroad Walking Tour that day. You must
register in advance. If you would like to attend please register through email to pstewart@localnet.com or calling 518-432-4432.

New Albany History Room to Open March 28

Local history buffs will soon have a beautiful new space in which to research the important people, places, and events in Albany’s past. The Pruyn Collection of Albany History at Albany Public Library is opening in a new location at the Main Library on March 28 at 5 p.m.

The collection is currently housed in an alcove of the Reference Department on the second floor of the Main Library at 161 Washington Avenue. Staff closed the room’s doors on March 7 in order to move the collection to its new home across the hall. During the next several weeks, the books, periodicals, photographs, and other documents recording Albany’s rich history will be relocated to the new Albany History Room.

More HERE.

The Adventures of the Special Librarian

Corporate Library Research in 1964
3 Geeks and a Law Blog

The Minnesota SLA division's Terri Horsmann converted this 1964 information film to a YouTube video for all to see.

NYS Military Museum Puts Info of 360,000 Civil War Soldiers Online

From an Oneida Daily Dispatch article:

As the Nation prepares to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the New York State Military History Museum and Veterans Research Center is making capsule histories of 360,000 New York Civil War Soldiers available online.

The entire roster of New Yorkers who served during the Civil War Years, 1861-1865, is now available online, as well as the five annual reports issued by the Bureau of Military Statistics from 1864 to 1868 that chronicle the accomplishments of New Yorkers in battle....

More than 360,000 Soldiers enlisted in New York regiments to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Capsule histories of those Soldiers military records were recorded from 1893 to 1906 in 17 volumes based on data from the New York Adjutant General's Office and the War Department, the predecessor to today's Department of the Army. These records have been posted in PDFformat and are searchable.

The Bureau of Military Statistics was established by the Legislature in 1863 to record the history of New York's volunteer Soldiers by collecting newspaper clippings, artifacts, and securing the battle flags of returning units. The Bureau published five reports summarizing the information collected and detailing the contributions made by New Yorkers during the Civil War. These records are also in searchable PDF format.

Direct to Roster of New York Volunteers During the Civil War

From the New York State Military History Museum and Veterans Research Center:
+ Additional Resources by Conflict

Collection Update from NewYorkHeritage.org

New York Heritage Digital Collections has recently added several new collections to its cooperative site at NewYorkHeritage.org , including the Buffalo Postcards Collection housed at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, the Polster Photographs of Lockport Collection housed at the Lockport Public Library, 1896-1910 Rensselaer County Fair materials from the Nassau Free Library, and the Murder Pamphlet Collection Exhibit from the Research Library, New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY.

NewYorkHeritage.org is a project of the NY 3Rs Association, which uses OCLC’s CONTENTdm Multisite Server to bring regionally digitized collections together, allowing researchers to search across all items simultaneously. This project provides free, online access to images of cultural and historical significance in New York State.

Participants in New York Heritage Digital Collections are committed to enhancing the site by adding both content and contributing institutions on a regular basis. The goal of the project is to eventually connect one thousand collections and one million items from throughout New York State. All institutions interested in participating in the project through their local reference and research library resources councils are encouraged to complete this online form.

The New York 3Rs Association is a partnership among New York’s nine reference and research resource systems. The New York 3Rs was incorporated in 2003 to further the ability of those systems to provide statewide services. The members of the New York 3Rs Association are: the Capital District Library Council, Central New York Library Resources Council, Long Island Library Resources Council, Metropolitan New York Library Council, Northern New York Library Network, Rochester Regional Library Council, Southeastern New York Library Resources Council, South Central Regional Library Council, and Western New York Library Resources Council.

"Freedom's Treasures" Exhibit to Be in State Capitol

The "Freedom's Treasures" exhibit, a rare display of Revolutionary War-era and early nation period historical artifacts, including a handwritten draft of Washington's Farewell Address, will be open to the public at the State Capitol's ceremonial Red Room, from 10 AM to 4 PM on November 10-11.

"Our nation's founding fathers and countless dedicated patriots put their lives on the line in support of the ideals of freedom and liberty," Governor David Paterson said. "This important exhibition of rare and historic artifacts from America's struggle for freedom will inspire us all to remember and cherish our past, as New Yorkers and Americans. Veterans Day, on which we honor those who have protected and defended our nation, is a particularly auspicious time for us to reflect on the history of the United States through this remarkable collection."

The exhibition, entitled "Freedom's Treasures," features a collection from the New York State Library, Archives and Museum of some of New York's most important Revolutionary Era artifacts that have rarely been seen by the public. Featured in the exhibition is an original draft of George Washington's Farewell Address penned in his hand that was sent to Alexander Hamilton for comment and revision on May 15, 1796. The document is part of the George Washington Collection at the New York State Library and was rescued from the fire that ravaged the State Capitol in 1911.

"Freedom's Treasures" also will give the public the chance to see a dress sword allegedly given to General Washington by Frederick the Great. The sword was purchased by the State of New York directly from Washington's family in 1871 and is depicted in the Washington portrait that hangs in the United States House of Representatives. According to Washington family tradition, the sword was given to General Washington with this verbal message from Frederick (the Great) II, King of Prussia: "From the oldest general of the world to the greatest."

Among the other artifacts included in this exhibition are a portrait of New York State's sixth Governor DeWitt Clinton and a writing desk he used. In office during two non-consecutive terms, Clinton was responsible for the building of the Erie Canal. The exhibit also includes the original engrossed copy of the U.S. Constitution sent to New York State for ratification and the "spy papers" retrieved from British Major John Andre's boot that implicated American General Benedict Arnold in the West Point conspiracy.

The full list of exhibited items is as follows:

● Washington's Farewell Address;

● Bronze bust of George Washington;

● Leaves from Washington's copy of "A Representation of the Cloathing of His Majesty's Household and of all the Forces upon the Establishments of Great Britain and Ireland" (the uniform book);

● Washington's dress sword;

● Benedict Arnold / John Andre papers;

● A print of John Andre crossing the Hudson River (based upon his own drawing of the event);

● Engrossed copy of the original U.S. Constitution;

● DeWitt Clinton portrait; and

● DeWitt Clinton's writing desk and chair.

Reservations are required for those interested in visiting the Freedom's Treasures exhibit on Wednesday, November 10. On Wednesday, those who are registered for the tour should meet at the Plaza Visitor Center, North Concourse, Empire State Plaza, Albany. For those interested in making reservations for Wednesday, November 10, please visit the OGS website.

Reservations are NOT required on Thursday, November 11. Those interested in viewing the exhibit should enter the Capitol directly and follow the signs that will be posted. Visitors can gain access to the Capitol either from State Street or through the Empire Plaza Concourse.

For directions to the Empire State Plaza please visit HERE.

For parking instructions at the Empire State Plaza please visit HERE.

NewYorkHeritage.org adds collections

New York Heritage Digital Collections has recently added twelve new collections to its cooperative site at newyorkheritage.org, including the Bowers Collection from the Broome County Historical Society, Historic Paintings Unwrapped from the History Center of Tompkins County, the Daughters of Charity Collection from the Lourdes Hospital, the Crandall Public Library Center for Folklife, History, and Cultural Programs Digital Collections, and the Digital Collections of Albany Law School.

NewYorkHeritage.org is a project of the NY 3Rs Association, which uses OCLC’s CONTENTdm Multisite Server to bring previously digitized collections together, allowing researchers to search across all items simultaneously. This project provides free, online access to images of cultural and historical significance in New York State.

Participants in New York Heritage Digital Collections are committed to enhancing the site by adding both content and contributing institutions on a regular basis. The goal of the project is to eventually connect one thousand collections and one million items from throughout New York State. All institutions interested in participating in the project are encouraged to complete this online form.

The New York 3Rs Association is a partnership among New York’s nine reference and research resource systems. The New York 3Rs was incorporated in 2003 to further the ability of those systems to provide statewide services. The members of the New York 3Rs Association are: the Capital District Library Council, Central New York Library Resources Council, Long Island Library Resources Council, Metropolitan New York Library Council, Northern New York Library Network, Rochester Regional Library Council, Southeastern New York Library Resources Council, South Central Regional Library Council, and Western New York Library Resources Council.

Let's Turn Our Attention to Main

Purloined, again, from Stephanie Simon

The Main Library is still going strong. Each month, more than 45,000 people pass through its doors. They use our public access computers, which are busy throughout the day. They bring their own laptops and make use of our free Wi-Fi connection. They bring their children to story times. They attend lectures and performances. And, they borrow close to 60,000 items (from the latest hardcover novels to newly released DVDs) from the Main Library.

Starting Saturday, Feb. 6, the Main Library will offer free federal income tax preparation for people with household incomes of less than $49,000 annually. The tax help is provided by our partners -- IRS VITA volunteers and AARP Tax Aide volunteers -- and is available on Wednesdays by appointment and Saturdays on a walk-in basis. The free tax preparation service days run from Feb. 6 through April 14. Last year, APL's tax program filed 1,004 returns for Albany residents resulting in almost $1.3 million in refunds back to the community! For more information about tax help at the Main Library, call the Reference Department at 427-4303.

In other Main Library news, work on the new Local History Room started this week. The demolition and construction work necessary to turn the old Albany Center Gallery space on the second floor into our new Local History Room is expected to take several months to complete. During that time, customers should be prepared for noise coming from the second floor work area. There will also be an impact on the parking lot and garage with work vehicles and dumpsters. Please be patient with this work! At the end of the process, we'll have a wonderful space to house the extraordinary Pruyn Collection of Local History.

On this day in 1731

Ben Franklin founded the first circulating library, a forerunner to the now ubiquitous free public library.