metropolitan archivist volume 21, no. 1 (winter 2015)

8/9/2019 Metropolitan Archivist Volume 21, No. 1 (Winter 2015)

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TheArchivistsRound Tableof MetropolitanNew York,nc.

Volume 21,No. 1Winter 2015

nycarchivists.org

MetropolitanArchivist


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MetropolitanArchivistVolume 21No. 1

Winter 2015

ivistsnd TableetropolitanYork,

me 21,

er 2015

rchivists.org

of Directors

nthony Donaldson

nt

undeesident

Turleyer

sopry

Merchantr of thenicationstee

aherr of theon Committee

Zeffrenr of thershiptee

Nixonr of thechvocacytee

vlikr of themmingtee

ial Staff

Wyckoffn-Chiefeviews Editor

nn Quinning Editor

RichardsonNews

Greers Editor

4

Letter from the Presidentand Editors Note

5

Education Committee Reportby Julie Maher

6

Restoring Public Access toPostwar Jewish Life and Historyin Poland: Digitization ofJDCs 19451949 WarsawOffice Recordsby Jeffrey Edelstein

9

Book Reviews

Digital Preservation for Libraries,Archives, and Museumsreview by Julia Kim

Through the Archival Looking Glass:A Reader on Diversity and Inclusionreview by Caitlin Christian-Lamb

11

Objects as Witness: Testimonyfrom Holocaust Artifactsby Christopher Boire

12

Exhibition Review:Polio: Confronting an Epidemicby David Rose

Welcome! The following individuals have joined the Archivists Round Table

of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (A.R.T.) from July 2014 to January 2015.

We extend a special thank you to the following

members for their support as A.R.T. Sustaining

Members: Gaetano F. Bello, Elizabeth Burns,

Corrinne Collett, Anthony Cucchiara, Pamela Cruz,

Constance de Ropp, Ryan Anthony Donaldson,

Barbara Haws, Chris Lacinak, Sharon Lehner, Liz

Kent Len, Alice Merchant, Sanford Santacroce,

Michael Stocker, Jeannie Terepka

Thank you to our Sponsorship Members:

Ann Butler, Frank Caputo, Linda Edgerly, Chris

Genao, Celia Hartmann, Mary Hedge, David Kay,

Christopher Laico, Stephen Perkins, Marilyn H.

Pettit, Alix Ross, Craig Savino, Mark E. Swartz,

Desiree Yael Vester, Angelo Vigorito

The mission of Metropolitan Archivi stis to

serve members of the Archivists Round Table

of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (A.R.T.) by:

Informing them of A.R.T. activities through

reports of monthly meetings and committee

activities

Relating important announcements about

individual members and member repositories

Reporting important news related to the

New York metropolitan are a archival profession

Providing a forum to discuss archival issues

Metropolitan Archivi st(ISSN 1546-3125) is

issued semi-annually to the members of A.R.T.

Comments, questions, or submissions should be

directed to the editor at [email protected] .

Preferred length of submissions is 8001000 words

for feature articles and 400500 words for reviews.

Metropolitan Archivi st and A.R.T. assume no

responsibility for statements made by contributors.

New Members

Steve Calco

Danielle Castronovo

Kate Cordes

Naki Daniel le Cordovez

Camille Dee

Anne DiFabio

Megan Dolan

Tanya Elder

Peter Foley

Matthew Garklavs

Esta Goldin

Rebecca Hernandez-

Gerber

Claire Ianno

Sylvia Kollar

Kristine (Kit) Kreilick

Jennifer Larson

Mimi Lester

Jamie Martin

Kenneth Mensing

Anne Morain

Yukie Ohta

Margo Padilla

Elizabeth Parker

Virginia Pastor

Kevin Reilly

Rivka Schiller

Andrea Specchialo

Tiana Tialep

Colin Torre

Shinji Ueda

Tessa Vacin

Sally Vermaaten

Christine Zarrett

New Student Members

Elizabeth Connell

Megan De Armond

Jessica Gavilan

Maria Ilario

Sana Masood

Obden Mondesir

Amanda Moreno

Katherine Palm

Valerie Ramshur

Mark Sacha

Shelby Schwartz

Cara Shatzman

Tamara Townsend

Liza Young

New Friends of A.R.T.

Members

Wanett Clyde

Timothy J. Dewerff

Sarah Ponichtera

14

Interview With The ArchivAnna Ciepiela-Ioannidesby Ellen Mehling

16

Mapping BrooklynsLegal Recordsby John Zar

19

Exploring Hidden Collectithrough AcademicService-Learningby Michelle Levyand Christina Orozco

20

New York Archives WeekAwards Ceremonyby Ryan Anthony Donaldson

22

Repository Profile:Trinitys History: Relocateby Joseph Lapinski

24

K-12 Archives Education Iby Tiffany Nixon

26

Programming Committeeby Nick Pavlik

28

A.R.T. News

30

Treasurers Report

Front Cover:Casablanca. Sketchfrom unit-historymanuscript, 3rd GeneralHospital, 1945. CourtesyMount Sinai MedicalCenter Archives.

Back cover:Trinity Archives at 74Trinity Place, 1939.Courtesy Trinity WallStreet Archives.
mailto:editor%40nycarchivists.org?subject=mailto:editor%40nycarchivists.org?subject=


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tters

From the Editor

Happy New Year to A.R.T. members and friends! I hope a wonderful holid ay season was hadby all. Thank you to our contributors, the ded icated and talentedMetropolitan Archivistteam,and the supportive A.R.T. board. Submissions from all of our membership, from students toseasoned professionals, are welcome and encouraged. If you are interested in contributing

content or volunteering your time on the Metropolitan Archivisteditorial board, please feel freeto contact me.

Many thanks,

Lindsey Rice WyckoffEditor-in-ChiefMetropolitan Archivist

by Julie Maher,Director of theEducation Committee

EducationCommitteeReport

From the President of A.R.T.

Happy New Year to everyone! With the start of the new year, we have the opportunity to reecton a great 2014. This past summer the A.R.T. community elected new board members and thankedthe outgoing board for its service. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Pamela Cruz,who nished up as president in June. Pamela has given me tremendous guidance as I begin my term,and for that I am most appreciative.

October saw New York Archives Week, and this issue ofMetropolitan Archivistwill feature someof the highlights. On behalf of the A.R.T. board, I would like to thank everyone who participatedin or sponsored these programs, which included tours, lectures, open houses, and other activities.These events all help to raise awareness of our local archives. We are thankful to MetLife, ourmajor sponsor, for increasing their grant funding, and we also thank the Lucius N. LittauerFoundation for their generous support. We are already thinking of what might be possible fornext year, and we welcome your comments and support.

Following New York Archives Week, we sponsored the program Lights! Camera! Archives!featuring archivists who work as historical consultants on lm and television. Over 100 peopleattended, and the feedback has been positive. For the year ahead, we are looking to schedule

similar types of programs which will highlight archives and archivists in other elds and disciplines.

Alice Merchant, director of A.R.T.s communications committee, has been working on a knowledge-management project with t he A.R.T. board. We are looking for ways we can make A.R.T. sustainableand more effectively support our mission and programs. We will be making a series of excitingannouncements in the next few months toward these ends, and we look forward to hearing from ourmembership. This means you!

As always, please let us know of any programming ideas you may have, including how you planto celebrate New York Archives Week 2015!

With Regards,

Ryan Anthony DonaldsonPresidentArchivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York

The Education Committee had a busy fall planning

and organizing another informative and well-attended New York Archives Week 2014Symposium. This years topic was Financial

Institutions and Archives. We have posted presentationsfrom the symposium to the A.R.T. website, as well as videoof the days proceedings, including the welcome addressand all the sessions. To view these materials, please visit:http://www.nycarchivists.org/2014_NYAW_Symposium.We will alert the A.R.T. membership as more sessionsare added.

A.R.T. is cosponsoring two DAS (Digital Archives Specialist)certicate courses this winter with the Society of AmericanArchivists (SAA). Dr. Jean E. Dryden will teach the rstcourse on January 23, 2015, concerning Privacy andCondentiality Issues in Digital Archives. On February 20,2015, Fynnette L. Eaton will instruct participants onBuilding Advocacy and Support for Digital Archives(formerly entitled, Inreach and Outreach for DigitalArchives). Both courses will meet at the National Archivesat New York City.

Based on the positive feedback we received concerning theRecords Management workshop series that Lauren Barnespresented this past year, the Education Committee is

speaking with Ron Hedges about a series of workshops for2015 on topics to do with the legal sector.

The Education Committee is looking forward to theremaining 20142015 membership year. A special thanksgoes to the Education Committee volunteers and to ourcosponsors for doing such a terric job in developing andadministering our educational events.

The Education Committee is always looking for volunteers!If you are interested in joining the Education Committeeor would like to propose a workshop idea, please [email protected].

New York Archives Week Symposium for Session 2 - Financial Records Tell tArchives and History.

Julie Maher a nd Rachel Harri sonvolunteer at the registration table.
http://www.nycarchivists.org/2014_NYAW_Symposiumhttp://www.nycarchivists.org/2014_NYAW_Symposiummailto:education%40nycarchivists.orgmailto:education%40nycarchivists.orgmailto:education%40nycarchivists.orghttp://www.nycarchivists.org/2014_NYAW_Symposium


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T

he American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee(JDC) has digitized the records of its WarsawOfce, 19451949, which are now searchableonline via the JDC Archives website. This major

collection comprises more than 500,000 pages digitizedfrom 444 reels of microlm and testies to the massive reliefeffort that the JDC initiated in Poland in the immediateaftermath of World War II. The records reveal the resolve torebuild Jewish community life in postwar Poland: forexample, through the rst renovation of Warsaws Nozyksynagogue, the building of a community mikvah (ritualbath), local fundraising efforts to create a Warsaw ghet tomemorial and for settlement of pre-state Israel, and theoperation of childrens summer camps.

The JDC Warsaw Ofce records document the efforts ofJDC, local Jewish organizations, and individuals to save andhelp orphaned Jewish children. The les contain countlessletters, lists of names, and other records that document howJDC fed these children, bolstered Jewish orphanages,searched for missing children and family members, andarranged for their emigration. The JDC Warsaw Ofceserved as the principal point of contact in assisting Jews andreuniting families. It received inquiries from Jews in Polandseeking to emigrate and trying to locate distant relativeswho might sponsor them and from Jews residing all over theworld who hoped for some word of their Polish familiesfate, and, if they had survived, assurance that the JDC would

see to their basic needs.

Countless examples of such correspondence indicate thehistorical richness of the collection. Even the fate of therecords itself tells the stor y of Jewish life in Polands postwarera. In 1949, the Communist government of Poland expelledthe JDC from the cou ntry. Its Warsaw Ofce les alreadyprepared for shipment to a more secure location wereconscated. The government later deposited the les in thebasement of the Jewish Historical Institute (JHI) in Warsaw,where they remained, untouched, for some fty years. Thetwelve extant crates of documents in a dozen languages,predominantly Polish and English, constituted a time capsule

Jeffrey Edelstein,Digitization Projectanager, American Jewish Joint Distributionommittee Archives

Restoring Public Access to Postwarewish Life and History in Poland:

Digitization of JDCs 19451949Warsaw Office Records

of the efforts of JDCs Central Ofce and others to save,care for, and relocate Jews and rebuild Jewish life in Polandafter the war. Files from JDCs satellite ofce in the Polishport city of Gdynia, which played a role in the emigration of

Jews from Europe, are also part of this collection.

The records survived relatively well preserved despite theconditions under which they had been stored. In 2002,recognizing the histor ical and cultural value of these records,the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)provided funding to microlm the 2,445 les, whichamounted to 37 linear meters of material. The USHMMcontracted with a Polish rm to organize the les, whichthey arranged by JDCs administrative departments inWarsaw. Reecting the focus of the ofces activities, thelargest record groups pertain to the Secretariat and theDepartments of Tracing Services, Assistance to Individuals,

and Emigration. Completed in 2006, the project rethe creation of 444 reels of 35mm microlm, a crstep in the preservation of these documents.

The Polish-language nding aid that was preparecollection is available onthe JHI websiteas wthe USHMM online catalog; it includes an invenindexes of persons and places. JDC is preparing aversion of the nding aid, which will eventually bonline.

Although the microlming ensured that the contenvulnerable documents would be preserved, theremained unsearchable and inaccessible to thepublic. In addition, the collection remained detaisolated from JDCs Archives in New York and Jepreventing cross-research between these hi

A

cal fundraising appeal to build the Warsaw Ghettosing Memorial (Records of the AJDC Warsaw Office,51949, file 294, item ID 2190572).

First page of a handwritten letter from Ben Ehrlichof Sydney, Australia, requesting assistance fromthe JDC for his brother Herman, living in Katowice,until his emigration can be arranged (Records ofthe AJDC Warsaw Of fice, 19451949, file 323,item ID 2313074).
http://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/search-the-collectionshttp://www.jhi.pl/enhttp://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/search-the-collectionshttp://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/search-the-collectionshttp://www.jhi.pl/en


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connected collections. In 2013, JDC entered intonegotiations with the JHI to digitize thecollection. The JHI and the USHMM grantedpermission for JDC t o borrow the microlm inorder to digitize the entire collection. Withprincipal funding from the RothschildFoundation and the Polonsky Foundation,scanning began in early 2013.

Following the JDC Archives establishedprocedures, after the microlm was scanned, theresulting TIFFs were then sent to our digitizationvendor, who sized, cropped, and compoundedthe les; embedded metadata; and produced PDFaccess copies. Meanwhile, at JDC, thedigitization project staff manipulated the datafrom a machine translation of the Polishinventory to create an Excel spreadsheet. Thespreadsheet in turn became the EAD templatefrom which the digitization vendor preparedXML les to be ingested into the database. Oneof the challenges of this work was to correct thevery rough, sometimes nonsensical, automatedEnglish translations; this process often requireda document-level review and consultation with aPolish-speaking member of the archives staff inorder for us to understand the les contents andto establish a useful English le title. We wereparticularly pleased to be able to include thepersonal names from the i ndex i n the le-levelmetadata. We were able to do this because theindex included the number of the le in whicheach name appeared.

In considering the content of this vast collection, the projectteam members were struck by the degree to which the JDCofce staff was able to establish and maintain a detailedrecords management system under the difcult economicand physical circumstances of postwar Warsaw. Assistanceand emigration les are organized by a system of case num-bers; sets of index cards numbering in the thousands

enabled staff to nd records by personal name and town oforigin. Detailed records of the Departments of Transporta-tion and Warehouses allow the tracking of material aidreceived from overseas and goods distributed via localorganizations. These documentation practices make thiscollection, now accessible and fully searchable, an espe-cially valuable and useful source for scholars, genealogists,and the broader public.

Here is a link to the Records of the American JointDistribution Committee: Warsaw Ofce, 1945-1949.

er from JDC WarsawDC Tel Aviv in49, on behalf of ald survivor seekingormation about his twonts (Records of theDC Warsaw Office,451949, file 1115,m ID 2305332).

ages courtesy

erican Jewishnt Distributionmmittee, Inc.

Digital Preservation for Libraries,Archives, and Museumsby Edward M. Corrado andHeather Lea MoulaisonRowman & Littlefield, 2014.294 pp.ISBN 978-0-8108-8712-1.$60.00

Review by Julia Kim, National DigitalStewardship Resident, NYU Libraries

Book Reviews

Edward Corrado and Heather Moulaisons Digital PreservLibraries, Archives, and Museums is a dense, practical comBuilding on their previous collaboration, Cloud Computiand Cons (2011), their newest book is a readable, up-to-d

that goes well beyond the usual OAIS model and le formats in isummaries of major initiatives and signicant publications in the eeld of digital preservation.

While much of the information and many of the resources cited are online, Corrado and Moulaison give all that material much needeand evaluation. Their book is not a theory or a history of the emergindigital preservation. Rather, at several hundred pages in paperback forcompact digest of the eld as it stands right now. The opening sentencquotes the Library of Congresss denition of digital preservation (management of digital content over time to ensure ongoing access)informative tone, before asking the refreshingly practical question does this really mean for the day-to-day work of the libraries, archmuseums (LAM) community? Corrado and Moulaisons pragmatic will be useful to students, professionals in the eld, digital archiviadministrators as well.

Corrado and Moulaison have divided the book into chapters along of the digital preservation triad: management, technology, and contethe need for mature tools hampers most workows, Corrado and Memphasize that digital preservation is mostly a management issuethan a purely technical issue (13). It is also a nancial issue. As CorMoulaison point out, there has been scant attention paid to how we cathat digital preservation activities surv ive beyond the current availabilimoney funding (77). They argue that concepts such as return on invare critical for sustainability and must be a part of our discourse. At in the development of this quickly emerging eld, institutions clearllonger rush to digitize at-risk content without a better understanding oand values over the very long term.

While the books examples are mostly from the United States, it alsprogressive Eu ropean initiatives including costing models a nd sprfor digital archiving from the Netherlands Data Archiving and Ne

Service (DANS) Cost of Digital Archiving project. The authors incluresources, and their book helpfully intersperses many tables, diagrcharts from other works or institutional developments.

As the eld of digital preservation matures and new tools, rubguidelines evolve, this book is a timely overview. What it lacks in deptthan makes up for in comprehensiveness and concision. I personally rin the course of my own work to ensure that I have not overlooked an

merican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
http://archives.jdc.org/explore-the-archives/finding-aids/warsaw-45-49/http://archives.jdc.org/explore-the-archives/finding-aids/warsaw-45-49/http://archives.jdc.org/explore-the-archives/finding-aids/warsaw-45-49/http://archives.jdc.org/explore-the-archives/finding-aids/warsaw-45-49/http://archives.jdc.org/explore-the-archives/finding-aids/warsaw-45-49/


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Editors Mary A. Caldera and Kathryn M. NealsThrough the Archival Looking Glass: A Readeron Diversity and Inclusionlls a critical void incurrent archival literature by addressing the state

diversity in archives, broadly termed, and how archivistsn work toward inclusivity. The ten-chapter volume mixesse studies and essays on theory, with the stated purpose ofarking conversations and reection on creating a diversecord, recruiting and maintaining a diverse workforce, ande complex interplay of authority, neutrality, objectivity,d power in an archival context.

aldera and Neals introduction grounds this volume withine larger history of archives, pointing to postmodernuence on archival practice and the rise of social-justiceovements and the growth of community archives in the60s and 1970s as the tipping points for a focus on minorit y-oup representation within collections and personnel. Bothitors explain why archival diversity is important in their

wn lives and careers, as they detail powerful moments ofnding documents relating to their own experiences within

archives. The editors opening statement on the appeal of

chives as part of the ver y human need to leave ones markn the world also reects this personal dimension. Calderaints out the archivists responsibility to preserve andake accessible as full a picture as possible for users, bothesent and future. The handy literature review h ighlightsoader efforts at diversifying the record and reading againste grain; it also makes clear that the bulk of discussion ofuralism within archives dates main ly from the mid-2000s.

early every chapter underscores the importance of col-boration with communities, acknowledging institutionald personal bias, and a willingness to question establishedchival practice (particularly in terms of ownership ofchives and archiving). Challenges to the focus on textual

documentation and the privileging of western knowledgeover other ways of knowing also echo through the volume,part icula rly in T-Kay Sangw ands Revolut ioniz ing theArchival Record through R ap: Cuban Hip Hop and Its Impli-cations for Reorienting the Archival Paradigm and JeffreyMifins Regarding Indigenous Knowledge in Archives.

Several essays focus on initiatives that work with under-represented communities to collect or contextualizematerials. I found Sonia Yaco and Beatriz Betancourt Har-dys A Documentation Case Study: The Desegregation ofVirginia Education (DOVE) Project particularly helpful, asit provides a how-to on setting up and running a documen-tation project, while explaining both why active curation isneeded and how to go about doing it.

Anne J. Gillilands closing chapter, Pluralizing ArchivalEducation: A Non-Zero-Sum Proposition, details Gillilandspersonal experiences, diversity issues within highereducation, and the objectives of the Archival Education andResearch Institutes Pluralizing Archival Curriculum Group(PACG). Gilliland sums up the goals of t he PACG framework,

and explains why diversity is crucial to archives: It is bothan ethical imperative and p ragmatically to everyones mutualbenet to promote that pluralism to ensure the best andmost appropriate stewardship of all communities recordsand memory texts as well as the continued relevance of thearchival eld in a plural world.

Through the Archival Looking Glass: A Reader on Diversityand Inclusion is an excellent introduction to the topic, andone from which archival practitioners and instructors of anylevel can learn.

Through the Archival Looking Glass: AReader on Diversity and Inclusionedited by Mary A. Calderaand Kathryn M. NealSociety of American Archivists, 2014.320 pp.ISBN 1-931666-70-9.$69.95/$49.95 (SA A Members )

Review by Caitlin Christian-Lamb,Associate Archivist, Davidson College

The rst item immediately pulls at the heart, astriped prisoners jacket from the Bergen-Belsenconcentration camp. This jacket provides avisitors rst sight of Objects as Witness: Testimony

from Holocaust Artifacts, a special exhibition of theHolocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County(HMTC). Across the room, in contrast, stands a Germanofcers uniform. From one extreme to the other, Objects asWitness displays papers and artifacts from survivors whohave lived on Long Island and donated these items to thecenters archives.

While the center has a wide range of holdings, many visitorsare only familiar with the handful in the permanent exhibit,which details the events of the Holocaust and the publicsentiments that perpetuated them. Now, for the rst time, theHMTC is spotlighting its archival program.

An eclectic selection of objects lls the special exhibitionroom, leading visitors through the years of the Holocaust.

From early anti-Semitic propaganda to immigrationpaperwork for displaced survivors, the displays presentwitnesses to the historic periods in question. Beyond thepassports and photographs one might expect, copper po ts, atypewriter, and even an accordion bring to life some lesser-known moments. The captions explain how objects likethese t into the larger story. Emphasizing intimate andpersonal connections, captions relate the donors stories,what they went through, and how items came into their care.In a few cases, they even detail how an item helped to save adonors life. Modern photographs offer hope and comfortagainst the horric events, revealing the lives the donorswent on to build for themselves.

HMTC deserves praise for its care in handl ing the exphysical and intellectual content. The building, estate, has large windows in the exhibit space, but scovered them to prevent light from damaging the mAlso, overly graphic and disturbing material has included in the exhibit; the center delivers its through a personal connection, not shock value.

When the exhibition closes, several featured artifacrotated into the permanent exhibition. Donations during the exhibition will be used to improve the These improvements include conservation serviceproper storage materials, and having foreign-materials professionally translated. With the comsupport, the archives will continue to be one of theimportant services.

Objects as Witnesssucceeds in bringing the local cotogether to tell a larger narrative on the nature of biprejudice. The individuals who struggled throu

events are not names in a book theyre neighborwho have donated these items in hope that wexperienced will not be forgotten. At the exhibitson November 2, 2014, over 100 of the att endees werthe center for the rst time. The community and thwill not let the stories to which these objects bearfade into the past.

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center oCounty is located at Welwyn Preserve, 100 BeachGlen Cove, NY. The exhibit will remain open throu2015. Hours, directions, and additional informatiofound at http://www.hmtcli.org/.

0

ook Reviews Objects asWitness:TestimonyfromHolocaustArtifacts

A childs a

played for soldiers, alPhoto cour

by Christopher Boire,Alumnus LIU PostLibrary/InformationScience program
http://www.hmtcli.org/http://www.hmtcli.org/http://www.hmtcli.org/


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Metropolitan Archivist/ Volume 21, No. 1 / Winter 2015

David Rose,

chivist,arch of Dimes

Polio: Confrontingan Epidemic

2

xhibition Review

March of Dimes posters, circa 1950s. Images courtesyNYU Langone Medical Center.

By honoring the extraordinaachievements of Drs. Albert Sand Jonas Salk, we also honomedical school that educatedmentored them, and preparedfor the world they chose...

In October 2014, the New York University Langone Medical Center hostedan historical exhibit about Americas polio epidemics, just as New Yorkerswere confronting the tragic appearance of the dreaded Ebola virus at theBellevue Hospital Center a mere few blocks away. The uncanny juxtaposition

history and breaking news was not lost on anyone who attended this informativesplay. Presented in conjunction with the fth annual Innovations in Healthcareymposium of the NYU Langone Medical Center, the exhibit,Polio: Confronting Epidemic, celebrated the achievements of doctors Jonas Salk and Alber t Sabin,

YU Medical School alum ni who developed, respectively, the rst killed-vir usd the rst live-virus polio vaccines. These vaccines ended Americas mid-ntury polio epidemics, and, as the exhibit emphasized, they continue to provideduring protection against a highly contagious disease. The exhibit markedorld Polio Day on October 24 and also kicked off a centennial celebration of t he

fe of Jonas Salk, who was born on October 28, 1914. The NYU symposium andhibit were the rst among many commemorations spearheaded by the Jonas

alk Legacy Foundation and that will continue into 2015, honoring Dr. Salksfetime achievements in ending polio in America and in creating the Salk

stitute for Biological Studies, a leading science research organization in Lalla, California.

n iron-lung respirator used to treat bulbar polio was a focal point of the exhibit.he March of Dimes Archives supplied the lung, along with thirty photographsom its collection documenting the ght against polio. Historical photos ofbert Sabin, from the Henry R. Winkler Center of the University of Cincinnati,d contemporary photos by Dr. Peter L. Salk, the son of Jonas Salk, complementede reproductions of rarely seen polio posters from a March of Dimes/MoMAntest in 1949. A charcoal portrait of Jonas Salk, created by his wife, the artistanoise Gilot, was a splendid addition to the array of artifacts, photos, andtwork on display. David Oshinsky, author of the Pulitzer Prizewinning Polio:n American Story, offered this assessment of the NYU commemoration: By

honoring the extraordinary achievements of Drs. AlbertSabin and Jonas Salk, we also honor the medical school thateducated them, mentored them, and prepared them for theworld they chose a world of path-breaking laboratoryresearch and devotion to the needs of humanity.

Contributors to the exhibit included Dr. Peter L. Salk,Michael J. Salk, the Family of Jonas Salk, FranoiseGilot, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Alyce Henson, Anthony B.Ricchiuti, the March of Dimes Archives, Mitchel NelsonHistory Library and Museum of the Cincinnati ChildrensHospital Medical Center, the Mandeville Special Collectionsand Archives of the University of California (San Diego), theNational Museum of American History of t he SmithsonianInstitution, the Henry R. Winkler Center of the Universityof Cincinnati, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), theWorld Health Organization, Rotary International, the Lillianand Clarence de la Chapelle Medical Archives of the NYUHealth Sciences Library, the American Association for theAdvancement of Science, UNICEF, the Albert and MaryLasker Foundation, and the NYU School of Medicine.

Iron Lung on display.

Salk and Sa

The exhibitmarkedWorld PolioDay onOctober 24and alsokicked off acentennial

celebrationof the life ofJonas Salk...


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4

Ellen Mehling, Career Developmentonsultant at METRO

nterview with the ArchivistAnna Ciepiela-Ioannides,NYC Municipal Archives

Please tell us about the Depart-

ment of Records collection and

its users.

The New York City Department of

Records and Information Services was

created in 1977. The department is

responsible for the organization and

retrieval (including public access) of

documents created by past, present,

and future City governments. The

Department of Records and Informa-

tion Services is composed of the

Municipal Archives, the City Hall

Library, and the Municipal Records

Management Division. The mission of

the Municipal Archives is to preserve

and make available the historically

valuable records created by the

government of the City of New York.

It has more than 200,000 cubic feet of

manuscript materials, ofce records,

ledger volumes, vital records, photo-

graphs, moving images, sound

recordings, architectural drawings and

maps; and the records have been trans-

ferred from more than 100 city

agencies. The archives has signicant

records relevant to the citys infra-

structure, such as parks, bridges,

streets, and buildings. Collection

highlights include vital records,

census [records], and city directories

that are an essential resource for

patrons conducting fami ly history

research. There are over one million

photographic images in the a rchives

various collections. Records of the

Mayors Ofce date back t o 1849, and

the records pertaining to the adminis-

tration of criminal justice, dating from

1684 to 1966, constitute the largest

and most comprehensive collection of

such material in the English-speaking

world. Legislative branch records date

back to the rst Dut ch colonial

government in New Amsterdam. All

of the records are crucial for the studyof the citys past as well as [the]

national heritage because of the citys

inuence on American cultural and

nancial history.

Are there any things about

the job or the collection that

surprised you?

Its the nature of the job that I con-

stantly nd something that surprises

me. I remember when I started

working at the Municipal Archives

I was working with [the] Board of

Education collection and one day we

had a researcher asking for door knobs

from old school buildings, not draw-

ings of it, but the actual objects, and

I thought, Ya, right. We dont get

things like that. Some time later I

came across a cast-iron eagle that was

original to the nineteenth-century City

Hall Park lighting xture (lamp post).

When City Hall Park was restored in

the 1990s, the eagle was used as a

model. So, yes we get things like that.

In the archives world, its amazing

what people value and believe to be

worth saving for years. There are

treasures everywhere. Also, I didnt

realize how physical our job is. I never

thought I would have to move so many

boxes. Last year alone, the Municipal

Archives accessioned about 15,000

cubic feet of material, and even

though I didnt move them all by

myself, I contributed plenty.

What are some recent or cur rent

projects?

At the Municipal Archives, we work

on many projects simultaneously.

Some of the highlights include: New

York Police Department crime scene

photographs, Department of Finance

property cards, and digitization of

Central Park drawings. After acces-

sioning historical photographs from

the NYPD crime scene unit at One

Police Plaza, the Municipal Archives

started a project of cataloging, re-housing, and digitizing the collection.

The collection includes images from

1914 to the 1970s. Another project

that was recently completed is a

digitization of over 3,000 historical

architectural records of Central Park

and other New York City parks, dating

from 18501934. From 2011 to 2014,

the Municipal Archives processed

about 1,000 cubic feet of property

cards from all of the city boroughs.

Property Cards were originally created

Ellen Mehling: Where were you

born? Where did you grow up?

Anna Ciepiela-Ionnides: I was born in

Cracow, Poland. Its a beautiful cit y,

located in central Europe, where

outdoor cafes enjoyed by locals and

tourists r ing the medieval Old Towns

main square. In this city, rollicking

nightlife happens amid centuries-old

tenement houses. Cracow is not only a

historic and vi sual gem, but Polands

second largest city with [a booming]

economy and masses of newcomers. It

is a place where new and old mi x

together and the line between history

and the present blurs.

Where did you go to school? What

degrees do you have?

I graduated from Cracow University of

Economics in 2002 with a masters in

marketing and management. I arrived in

New York shortly after my graduation

in 2002, because I wanted to experience

the cosmopolitan life of the worlds

unofcial capital before I settled down.

I fell in love, not only with the city but

with my future husband, and I stayedfor good. It took me some time to adjust

to a new life. I had a change of heart in

2009, when I chose to follow a com -

pletely different career and applied to

Queens College Graduate School of

Library and Information Science. I

received my MLS in the spring of 2011.

by the Department of Finance;

date to the 1930s and contain v

historical building classicatio

construction, ownership, and a

ment information. Most are up

through [the] 1970s.

The recent important project th

I worked on was cataloging of

World Trade Center 9/11 colle

The Municipal Archives has m

than 600 cubic feet of material

pertain ing to the 9/11 tragedy.

includes memorabilia left at th

city parks and at memorial site

year, as well as gifts and corre

dence sent to the mayor. My co

Chris Genao and I catalogued

5,000 items.

My last question is from the

questionnaire: Where woul

like to live?

In a general sense, I would lik

live in a world in which we hav

resources for all the projects w

in our head. But if I allowed m

to fantasize on my ideal state,

live and work in New York, bu

for lunch every day at my mom

Cracow for a nice homemade m

On weekends, I would step ont

magic carpet and visit my in-la

Cyprus, a ten-minute walk fro

stunning Mediterranean beach

What made you decide to become

an archivist?

I applied to a library program because

I was looking for a peaceful environ-

ment where I could grow and help

others. I guess I was overwhelmed

with the pace and self-absorption of

the city. Also, from the very begin-

ning living in the United States, I was

a regular user of all three public

libraries in New York City, and I was

amazed by their wide range of public

services. I planned to serve immigrant

constituents and became an archivist

by chance. I guess I was always more

of a craftsperson than a creator. I just

love to organize, to take a mess and

put it in order. At Queens Col lege, I

did an internship at the Municipal

Archives and saw abundant records

that needed attention. You could say it

was love at rst sight. Institutional

archives differ from other archives in

many aspects, but I think thats what

appealed to me the most.

How long have you b een working

at the NYC Department of Records

and Information Services? How didyou come to be working there?

Ive been working at the NYC Depart-

ment of Records and Information

Services since May 2011. I actually

interned at the Municipal Archives in

the fall of 2010, and then I applied

there for a job as an assistant archivist,

which I got. Then I moved up the

ranks, working on grant-sponsored

projects, to my cur rent position as an

archivist at the Municipal Archives.

na Ciepiela-Ioannides,YC Municipal Archives.


9/17

6

byJohn Zarrillo,Processing Archivist,Brooklyn HistoricalSociety

Aherd of cattle marches through Williamsburg. The

sewers overow, ooding several city blocks. The National Guard is called into Brooklyn to end a

transit strike. A man slips on a banana peel.

hese are just a few of the stories we uncovered processinge records of Brooklyns Corporation Counsel, which arew open to researchers at the Brooklyn Historical Society

HS). The records, which date from 1843 to 1920, documentgal cases led against the City of Brooklyn (and, after 1897,e City of New York). The Corporation Counsel served ase citys chief legal advisor and headed the Department ofaw, so it was his responsibility to deal with the numerousvil suits led against the city by citizens, corporations, anden other municipalities.

he story of the Corporation Counsel records is fairly typi-l. The records, housed for many decades in a nea rby court-use, were slated for destruction, and someone thoughtfullyntacted BHS, which agreed to take in the orphaned re-rds. The records were surveyed in 2006 and removed to

BHSs offsite storage facility, but otherwise they remaineduntouched for another decade or so, until BHS received aCouncil on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)Hidden Collections grant, which would make the recordsavailable to the public for the rst time. As it turns out, pro -cessing late-nineteenth-century legal records can be tricky,and we hope an explanation of the methods utilized in thisproject w ill prove useful to other archivists working with

similar collections.

The age, quantity, and general neglect of the records combinedto make the initial stages of processing a challenge. Eachrecord carton was tightly packed with tri-folded legaldocuments, which had to be opened and attened. Whilesome of the records relating to individual case les weregrouped together (bound with string), material related to asingle case was frequently scattered across multiple boxes.Luckily, the 2006 survey indicated that each box typicallycontained les dati ng from a single year (e.g., 1898) or with aconsecutive range of dates (e.g., 19061910). We were thusable to apply a chronological arrangement to all case les.

Files relating to specificlocations have beengeocoded and mapped,allowing researchers tobrowse the collectionvisually. Images courtesyBrooklyn HistoricalSociety.

The next step was to determine an appropriate le-naming schema. While therewere no folder labels to speak of, almost all of the legal documents identied boththe plaintiff and a defendant. Researchers would surely want to know what partieswere involved in these cases, so the plaintiffs name was always included in thefolder title. Since the City of Brooklyn (and later New York) was named as adefendant in virtually every case, we decided not to include that information at thefolder level.

This was a good start, but simply listing a few names does not give a researchermuch information to work with. While every case was different, it soon becameclear that the majority of cases fell into a few categories, such as personal injuries,property damage, and civil service disputes. The lawyers who prepared theselawsuits tended to use standa rdized language for each typ e of case, so it was fairlyeasy to categorize cases without needing to read every single document relating tothe case. Once it was clear that it would not be too time consuming to determinethe topic of each case, we decided to include this information as well.

Next, we consulted with Elizabeth Call, former head of reference and userservices at BHS, for more insight on how our typical u sers might approach thecollection. She emphasized that property and building-history questions are one ofBHSs primary research inquiries. Our collection includes numerous maps,thousands of building photographs, and land-conveyance records dating back tothe Dutch settlement of Brooklyn. To complement these records, I tried to add asmuch location information as possible in either the folder title or in a general noteattached to the le. This information included street addresses, cross streets, andeven ward, block, and lot numbers, all of which would prove useful for the nextphase of the project.

The CLIR grant that funded the processing of the Corporation Counsel recordsalso provided for a geographical information systems (GIS) component. Thisaspect of the grant was not fully dened, allowing BHS to determine how best toincorporate GIS data into the project. Our initial strategy was simply to collect thedata. We attached geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) to any lecontaining relevant location information in its folder title or notes elds. There aremany web-based applications that will plot coordinates using the Google Maps

Example of a claim for property damage. Magner, Ellen - 87 Berry St. property damage, 1893-1894. Brooklyn,N.Y., Department of Law, Corporation Counsel records, 2013.015; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Mapping BrooklynsLegal Records

As it turns out, processlate-nineteenth-centurrecords can be tricky, we hope an explanatithe methods utilized inproject will prove usefother archivists workinwith similar collections


10/17

Box of unprocessed legal records.

Dr. Christine Angel, assistant professor of Libraryand Information Science at St. Johns University,began the Hidden Heritage C ollections Project inthe spring of 2013. The project draws on the

universitys Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) program tocreate a partnership between local archives and St. Johns.Focusing specically on archives that have hidden collectionsor that are little known to the general public, the programallows qualied graduate students from the Division ofLibrary and Information Science (DLIS) to work in thearchives and at the same time apply their hours and workexperience toward course requirements.

The rst archives to express interest were the Center forMigration Studies and the Paulist Fathers. Both of these

archives sought help in gaining intellectual control of theircollections and in preserving them digitally. Dr. Angelproposed t hat t he archives partner with St. Johns throughthe AS-L program. The rst set of AS-L students began atthe Center for Migration Studies archives in spring 2013,and each student completed twelve hours work during theterm. In writing assignments both before and after theirprojects students reected on their expectations andexperiences of working in the archives.

Students now write posts concern ing the objects and projectsthat they have worked on at their AS-L sites in the HiddenHeritage Collections blog (hiddenheritagecollections.org).

The blog serves a dual purpose. While promoarchival artifacts of various community-partner coit also provides students with needed social media exThe archives and students formed reciprocal parthrough the course of this project. Students werdemonstrate archival theories to community providing them both with rewarding experienceJohn Foley, C.S.P., at that time vice president of thFathers and currently their assistant archivist, students in an AS-L interview: [AS-L] is opePaulist Fathers] up to the wealth of informationactually have in our possession but previously jusunderstand would be useful and valuable to othMary Brown, archivist of the Center of Migratioand of Marymount College, has said about AS-L

[The students] are going to go on to take cardocuments that all historians rely on, and, incryoull be the ones publishing, via digitization anexhibits, these documents.

The Hidden Heritage Collections Project hasexpanded since its inception. Community partninclude archives in the academic, public, and privatFor more information on the project or tosee studplease visit hiddenheritagecollections.org.

byMichelle Levy and Christina Orozco, Digital Project Archivists,Hidden Heritage Collections Project, St. Johns University

Exploring Hidden Collectionsthrough AcademicService-Learning

PI. For our project, we used a free application hosted by theench software company Mondeca (http://universimmedia.gesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htm).

After consulting with Matt Knutzen (of the New YorkPublic Librarys Map Division), we decided to d issemi-te the GIS data in two different ways. The rst was tosplay the data points on a map, allowing users to browseses visually by location. This approach is useful for re-archers who are interested in a specic location or a gen -al area. Someone conducting property-history research,r example, can simply zoom in to the street address to seethere are any claims for damage to a specic building.

ther research applications might include searching fortersections or streets that were particularly hazardous todestrians, or for areas of Brookly n that were espe ciallyone to sewer ooding.

e intended to make the map available to the public via ourordpress catablog (nicknamed Emma, http://brooklyn-story.org/library/wp/). We explored a number of GIS map-

ng plug-ins available for that platform and ended up u singe beta version of Google Fusion, which is available for freettp://www.google.com/fusiontables). The process proved to

extremely simple. First, we uploaded a spreadsheet orSV le containing the GIS data. The application plots theta points over a Google Map, which can then be displayed

n a number of platforms. For reference purposes, our datacludes folder title, dates, notes, subjects, and box and foldercations, so that researchers can easily match the data pointth its corresponding le in the collection. We expect that

e could apply the same methods to our other collections ofoperty records and building photographs.

We also plan to make the raw GIS dataavailable to the public online, to allowusers to play directly with the data. We willpublicize this release on our Emma blog and onother social media platforms.

Releasing the GIS data to the public is just oneof the projects many outreach components. Wehave heavily promoted the collection on theBHS blog, with posts that highlight the researchstrengths of the records, while providing insightinto late-nineteenth-century Brooklyn. Theseblog posts also formed the basis for a series offree lectures entitled Tales from the Vault.Topics included the history of the bicycle inBrooklyn, boxing matches in Coney Island, adeadly smallpox outbreak, and the 1895Brooklyn trolley strike. Our ambitious outreachstrategy proved a success; we have already hadseveral researchers ask to use the records.

It was decided early on that the CorporationCounsel records would require a detailed level

of processing to allow researchers proper access to thecollection. The records, bound in string and riddled withpins, needed to be attened, examined, and cataloged beforethey could be made available. Our methods were anythingbut mini mal-level processing. However, given the t ime andmanpower, these methods will allow researchers an extremelyhigh degree of access to a previously inaccessible collectionof records.

The project City, Borough, Neighborhood, Home: MappingBrooklyns Twentieth-Century Urban Identity wasspearheaded by Julie May (head of collection management),Elizabeth Call, and Jacob Nadal (former director of thelibrary and archives), all of whom contributed to the successof the project. Acquisitions and processing intern DeborahMarks greatly assisted in assembling the collections ndingaid. The grant also funded the cataloging of our twentieth-century map collection. Map cataloger Lisa Miller provideda tremendous amount of assistance in dealing with the manymaps found in the Corporation Counsel records. Finally, wewould like to thank the Council on Library and Information

Resources (CLIR), whose generous funding made this projectpossible.

The collections nding aid is now available online ( http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/); the catablog record (featuring the mapped GISdata points) is available at http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/brooklyn-corporation-counsel-records-1843-1920/; andblog posts docu menting the project can be viewed at http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/tag/clir/.

http://hiddenheritagecollections.org/http://hiddenheritagecollections.org/http://hiddenheritagecollections.org/http://hiddenheritagecollections.org/http://universimmedia.pagesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htmhttp://universimmedia.pagesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htmhttp://universimmedia.pagesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htmhttp://universimmedia.pagesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htmhttp://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/http://www.google.com/fusiontableshttp://www.google.com/fusiontableshttp://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/brooklyn-corporation-counsel-records-1843-1920/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/brooklyn-corporation-counsel-records-1843-1920/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/brooklyn-corporation-counsel-records-1843-1920/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/brooklyn-corporation-counsel-records-1843-1920/http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/tag/clir/http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/tag/clir/http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/tag/clir/http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/tag/clir/http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/tag/clir/http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/tag/clir/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/brooklyn-corporation-counsel-records-1843-1920/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/brooklyn-corporation-counsel-records-1843-1920/http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/bhs/arms_2013_015_corp_counsel/http://www.google.com/fusiontableshttp://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/http://universimmedia.pagesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htmhttp://universimmedia.pagesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htmhttp://hiddenheritagecollections.org/http://hiddenheritagecollections.org/


11/17

Ryan Anthony Donaldson,esident

The twenty-sixth annual AwardsCeremony was held at the NewYork Junior League, an historicUpper East Side townhouse

originally constructed in 1927 for Philipand Helen Astor. A capacity crowd ofsome 100 members and professionalcolleagues joined A.R.T. supporters andspecial guests for hors-doeuvres andcocktails to begin the evening.

After everyone assembled, A.R.T.conferred its four awards.

The award for Innovative Use of Archives went to The Roaring'Twenties: An Interactive Exploration of the Historical Soundscape ofNew York City.

Kenneth Cobb, assistant commissioner of the New York CityDepartment of Records, presented the award to Dr. Emily Thompson,professor of history at Princeton University.

Outstanding Support of Archives went to the Center for JewishHistory. Susan Malbin, director of Library and Archives at theAmerican Jewish Historical Society, presented the award to RachelMiller, senior manager for Collection Services, and Laura Leone,director of Archive and Library Services, Center for Jewish History.

Archival Achievement to Linda Edgerly.Bob Sink, retired archivistand independent researcher, presented the award to Linda Edgerly,founding partner and director of Information and Archival Servicesat the Winthrop Group.

Educational Use of Archives to Queens Memory Project. JasonKucsma, executive director of the Metropolitan New York LibraryCouncil, presented the award to Natalie Milbrodt, associatecoordinator of Metadata Services, Queens Library, and QueensMemory director.

A.R.T. also received two proclamations: Borough of ManhattanPresident Gale Brewer proclaimed Archivists Round Table ofMetropolitan New York Appreciation Day and presented theproclamation on behalf of he r ofce; while Kenneth Cobb, assistantcommissioner, New York City Department of Records and Information

Services, presented the New York Archives Week proclamation onbehalf of the Ofce of the Mayor, City of New York.

The A.R.T. Board and the Awards Committee would like to thankMetLife, the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, Borough PresidentBrewer, and all who made this event possible, and congratulate all ofour 2014 award recipients!

Whom would you like to see recognized next year? Nominationsfor 2015 are now open, and all members are encouraged to cast theirvotes. Please visit: https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-awards-nomination-form/.

2014 New YorkArchives WeekAwards Ceremony

0

to with Archival Achievement honoree Linda Edgerly (center) and colleagues. Photos by James Giovan.

NatalieMilbrodt,accepting theAward forEducational Useof Archives onbehalf ofQueensMemory, withJason Kucsma ,executivedirector,METRO.

Kenneth Cobb(AssistantCommissioner,New York CityDepartment ofRecords)introduces theOffice of theMayor, City ofNew York,proclamation forNew YorkArchives Week.
http://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://www.cjh.org/http://www.cjh.org/http://www.cjh.org/http://www.winthropgroup.com/winthrop_prof.htmlhttp://queensmemory.org/https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-awards-nomination-form/https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-awards-nomination-form/https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-awards-nomination-form/https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-awards-nomination-form/https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-awards-nomination-form/https://nycarchivists.wufoo.com/forms/art-awards-nomination-form/http://queensmemory.org/http://www.winthropgroup.com/winthrop_prof.htmlhttp://www.cjh.org/http://www.cjh.org/http://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.htmlhttp://vectorsdev.usc.edu/NYCsound/777b.html


12/17

Early-eighteenth-century sermons, diaries of a long-standing rector,original architectural drawings of a National Historic Landmarkchurch, and burial records of some of New Yorks most inuential menand women: these are just some of the pieces of Trinity Wall Streets

7-year history that were recently packed up an d moved as Trinity Wall St reetschives relocated to a new space.

September 2014, Trinity Wall Street and its staff moved ofces from 74 Trin -y Place, its home for eighty years, to 120 Broadway.

ior to 1934, Trinity Wall Street kept its records in a variety of storage reposito-es some more sophisticated than others. In 1709, only a chest was providedo keep the Cash & writings belonging to the Church; while in 1827, Trinitys

cords show an authorization for a purchase of trun ks and boxes suitable forntaining the papers and documents of the Corporation of Trinity Church.

hese rudimentary repositories housed the whole of Trinitys archives for morean a century and up until the mid-nineteenth century, when some of Trinitysergy took interest in preserving the history of Trinity Church and the Episcopalhurch as a whole.

ecords once stored in chests and trunks were from then on stored more care-lly in reproof safes. By the end of the nineteenth century, Trinitys recordsere in better arrangement, and staff began to receive external genealogical re-arch requests. Trinitys rector for more than forty years, the Reverend Morganx, became an active user of the archives, as he researched and wrote what be-me a seven-volume history of Trinity Parish.

It was after their move to 74 Trinity Place, however, that thehistorical records began to resemble a modern archives. Atrained staff, a restoration and preservation program, andindexing and arrangement of the records according to archi-val standards were all introduced during the archives timeat that address.

Writings and records, previously kept in chests andtrunks, were relocated several times before nding ahome at 74 Trinity Place. The current archives staff nowfaced the careful task of moving these same records yetagain to 120 Broadway. Despite the short distanc e of just 413feet between the new building and the old, the materialswere securely packed as if facing a much greater journey.Boxes containing some of New Yorks earliest records wereloaded onto moving carts and shrink-wrapped, with extrapadding add ed where necessary. Moving carts were escor t-

ed out of the building and onto moving trucks with as muchcare and attention as if the records were in fact the historicalgures that created them. With careful planning and coordi -nation among staff and hired movers, nearly 2,000 linearfeet of historical records safely made the trip to their newhome at 120 Broadway.

2

epository Profile

Trinitys History:Relocated

The new space at 120 Broadway is a standard ofredesigned into a functional archives with new climtrol units, security measures, and ample vault sp

cluding a dedicated at storage vault. The facility ala new reading room eager to host researchers inteconnecting with Trinitys past. The archives will bat 120 Broadway for the next several years, while 7Place is redeveloped into new ofce and communfor Trinity Wall Street, including a new archives cowith expanded space and updated facilities.

Want to know more? The archives are availablsearch to qualied researchers by appointment.guide and research policies formore details! [email protected] if you have furthtions or to schedule an appointment.

Prior to1934, TrinityWall Streetkept its

records ina varietyof storagerepositories.

Packed materials leaving 74 Trinity Place for120 Broadway, September 2014.

Joseph Lapinski,sistant Archivist,nity Wall Street

The new arc120 Broadw

Trinity ArchivPlace, 1939

Images courStreet Archiv

mailto:archives%40trinitywallstreet.orgmailto:archives%40trinitywallstreet.orgmailto:archives%40trinitywallstreet.org


13/17

A.R.T. held its fth annual Archives Education Institute (AEI) on

October 11, 2014, at the ofces of the National Archives at New York City (NARA-NYC) in downtown Manhattan. In partner-

ship with NAR A-NYC and the Association of Teachers/United Federationof Teachers, A.R.T. hosted a group of twenty-seven archivists andeducators who met to d iscuss how best to engage K-12 students usingprima ry sou rce do cuments related to t he per forming arts. Several ofmetropolitan New Yorks most revered performing arts organizationswere on hand to discuss and esh out current practices for supportand enhancement of classroom learning using the material productsof performance.

Hosted and moderated by NARAs Chris Zarr, the event started with apanel di scussion with panelists Barba ra Haws, archivist and historian,New York Philharmonic; Kathleen Sabogal, archivist, Carnegie Hall;Sharon Lehner, director of archives, Brooklyn Academy of Music; andMitch Mattson, associate director of education, Roundabout TheatreCompany. The discussion focused on ways that performing artsorganizations are moving outside traditional access and researchprotocol by digitizing large collections of material with an eye towardexpanding teachers and students access to these rich primary resources.Discussion touched on ways that performing arts organizations andrepositories need to expand their offerings and not only include high-level scholarship but also engage younger students through age-appropriate curation of collections.

Tiffany Nixon,rector of the Outreachd Advocacy

ommittee

K-12 Archives Educationnstitute

The second half of the day was dedicated to educators andarchivists presenting the group with materials andresources from their own collections, with RoundaboutTheatres Mitch Mattson facilitating smaller break-out groupsessions tasked with nding applicable lesson plans to sharewith the larger group. Morgen Stevens-Garmon, theatrearchivist from the Museum of the City of New York, sharedthe work the museum has undertaken to make a largerpercentage of its performing arts collections available online;Brooklyn teacher Joy Ravona shared a docu ment she createdcontaining lyrics wr itten by Paul Robeson to engage youngerstudents through music; Schomburg Center for Research inBlack Cultures librarian Miranda Mims discussed specicaspects of the collection that highlight Harlems signicantcontribution to the arts in New York; Roundabout Theatresarchivist Tiffany Nixon brought costumes and other uniqueartifacts from theatre production that are used in thecompanys educational outreach; and Diane Russo andPamela Cruz from the Girl Scouts of America sharedmaterials from their collection that support scholarship and

interest in the performing arts. Historic reenactor and

museum educator Michael Grillo, from the Van CortlandtHouse Museum in the Bronx, was also on hand to discusshow historic costume can be used educationally to engagestudents. All participants received certicates eligible forArchival Recertication Credits (ARCs) and professionaldevelopment hours for teachers and educators.

The event was a success, opening up further discussionon how we as archivists can better work with ourrepositories and with educators to expand collections toinclude younger students. Digital projects, tours and otherrecommendations were suggested and will be used toinform next years AEI.

Librarian Miranda Mims explainsthat some of the SchomburgCenters resources relating to theHarlem Experimental Theatre areavailable online.

Brooklyn school teacher JoyRavona talks about the PaulRobeson lyrics and interviewshe uses.


Diane Russo from Girl Scouts of the USA NationalHistoric Preservation Center discusses the Girl Scoutsarchives with a teacher and museum educator.

otos courtesymela Cruz.

ucator resourcesailable online fromMuseum of the

y of New York.

Panel discussion moderated byChristopher Zarr of NARA-NYC at the 2 014 K-12 ArchivesEducation Institute.


14/17

6

Nick Pavlik,rector of theogrammingommittee

ProgrammingCommitteeReport

Happy New Year from the A.R.T. ProgrammingCommittee! Leading up to 2015, theProgramming Committee sponsored two livelyevents during the Fall 2014 season. On November

19, nearly ninety A.R.T. members and friends gathered for apanel on television and lm producers integration ofarchival items and research into popular historical dramas,graciously hosted by Barnard College and held in themagnicent James Room at Barnard Hall.

Among the distinguished panelists were Dr. Stanley Burnsand Elizabeth Burns of the renowned Burns Archive, whohave been essential historical consultants on the Cinemaxseries The Knick; Shannon ONeill, archivist and librarianat Barnard College, who provided invaluable researchservices to the team behind the series Boardwalk Empireduring her previous tenure as an archivist at the AtlanticCity Free Public Library; and Robert Singleton, executivedirector of the Greater Astoria Historical Society, whoserved as a consultant on the recent Baz Luhrmann remakeof The Great Gatsby.

The panelists excellent presentations treated event attendeesto unique insight on the impor tance of archives and archivistsin television and lm, along with some great behind-the-scenes stories.

On December 8, eighty A.R.T. members and friends cameout to celebrate the holidays at the annual A.R.T. HolidayParty, generously hosted by the Brooklyn Historical Society.Attendees enjoyed some good holiday cheer over wine andhors-doeuvres and also donated to A.R.T.s annual holidaygift drive. The gifts collected this year again went to theLong Islandbased charity Toys of Hope, which providestoys, clothing, and other items to families in need. Thanks toeveryone who donated to this years gift drive!

The A.R.T. Programming Committee would like to send ahuge thanks to all of our event speakers and cosponsors andto all the attendees who make A.R.T. events such a success.

From top:

Bob SingletoDirector, GreHistorical Sowork on The

Liz Burns, Jer(Herman BaCara SeymoHarriet, The Dr. Stanley B

Liz Burns, Nick Pavlik (A.R.T.Director of the ProgrammingCommittee), and J Burns(The Burns Archive).

Holiday party attendees enjoythe evening. Photos courtesyAlice Merchant..

Lights, Camera, Archives! photos coArchive and Ale xandra Leder man.


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NDSR-NY residents from left to right: Vicky Steeves, Peggy GriesingeBlumenthal, Shira Peltzman, and Julia Kim. Photo by Alan Barnett for

8

MOUNT SINAI ARCHIVES

DIGITIZES SECONDWORLD WAR RECORDS

he Archives of the Mount Sinai Med ical Center in New York has digitized

e records of the U.S. Armys 3rd General Hospital, Mount Sinais overseasnit during the Second World War. The doctors and nurses assigned to thed General treated thousands of wounded soldiers in Tunisia, Italy, andance between May 1943 and September 1945. Items in the collectionclude numerous ofcial documents, an illustrated manuscript history ofe unit, two scrapbooks assembled by nursing staff, and a periodical whichstributed news of the unit to readers on the home front.

nding aid is available online at http://library.mssm.edu/services/archives/chives_collections/index.shtml, and the digitized records are available ine Mount Sinai Digital Repository at http://dspace.mssm.edu/han-e/123456789/17087.

NEW BOOK: BRONX FACES

AND VOICES: SIXTEEN

STORIES OF COURAGE

AND COMMITMENT

Edited by Emita Brady Hilland Janet Butler Munch.

Lubbock, TX: Texas TechUniversity Press, 2014.

In Bronx Faces andVoices, sixteen men andwomenreligious lead-ers and activists, electedofcials, and ordinary

citizens tell their personal, uncensoredstories of the New York City borough be-fore, during, and after the troubled yearsof arson, crime, abandonment, and ightin the 1970s and 1980s. The interviewsare drawn from the Bronx Institute Ar-chives Oral History Project, held in theSpecial Collections division of the Leon-ard Lief Library of Lehman College,CUNY. This book includes photographsby Georgeen Comerford and WalterRosenblum. It was published during thecentennial year of Bronx County, the lastcounty created in New York State.

For an interview about the book, see:http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/pod-casts/2014/12/11/bronx-faces-and-voices/.

For the publishers link about the book,see: http://ttupress.org/books/bronx-faces-and-voices .

TRINITY WALL STREET

ARCHIVES FEATURED IN

NEW PUBLICATIONNew York, NY: Simon &Schuster, 2014.

What collectionsare referenced?Our 1768 re pail,included as itemnumber 13 of 101selected, is used as arepresentation of thegreat re of 1776.

RICHARD MEIERMODEL MUSEUMNOW OPENThe Richard Meier Model Museum is located on the ManaContemporary campus in Jersey City. The museum,designed and curated by Pritzer Prizewinner Meier,includes model and sculpture exhibition space, an archives,and a library that is open to scholars and students.

The space occupies 15,000 square feet a nd features Meiersarchitectural projects from the 1960s to the present,sculptures and collages by Meier, and more than 1,000books and magazines from his personal library.

More than 400 handcrafted models are currently on display,including projects such as the Getty Center, the HighMuseum of Art, the Smith House, and the Ara PacisMuseum. In addition, the museum contains un-constructedcompetition proposals for the World Trade Center Memorial,New Yorks Avery Fisher Hall, and the BibliothqueNationale de France.

The museum serves the architectural community and otherinterested parties and is open by appointment. For questionsor to schedule a visit, please contact Marie Penny, archivistand exhibitions manager, at [email protected].

A.R.T. News contributors: Marie Penny, The Richard MeierModel Museum; Janet Munch, Lehman College; Nicholas

Webb, Mount Sinai Medical Center; Anne Petrimoulx,Trinity Wall Street; Annie Tummino, Metropolitan New YorkLibrary Council.

METRO LAUNCHES

NATIONAL DIGITAL

STEWARDSHIP

RESIDENCY PROGR

IN NEW YORK

In September 2014, the Metropolitan New YorkCouncil (METRO) welcomed the inaugural cohoNational Digital Stewardship Residency programYork (NDSR-NY). Five recent gradu ates were choa highly competitive pool of applicants and placlected host institutions to complete nine-month pdencies working on digital stewardship initiatives

The residency kicked off with a preliminary imcourse in digital stewardship, giving the cohort annity to collaborate on projects and learning objectresidents have since settled into their positions ainstitutions: the American Museum of NaturalCarnegie Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, the NArt Resources Consortium, and New York Univbraries. They are blogging about their projects at hnycdigital.org/and through guest posts on The Sig

The NDSR program, supported by generous fundthe Institute of Museum and Library Services, is wdevelop the next generation of digital stewardshisionals, who will be responsible for acquiring, mpreserving, and making accessible our nations dsets. Harvard University Library and the MIT LibBoston and the Library of Congress in Washingtonrunning concurrent NDSR initiatives.

Applications to become an NDSR-NY host instresident for the 20152016 program will open 2015. METRO invites potential host institutions dents to direct any questions to Margo Padilla, NProject Director, at [email protected].

he Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. | Volume 21, No. 1 | Winter 2015 | nycarch ivists. org

Casablanca.Sketch fromunit-historymanuscript,3rd GeneralHospital,1945.


Richard Meier ModelMuseum interior.Photo by Steve Sze.
http://library.mssm.edu/services/archives/archives_collections/index.shtmlhttp://library.mssm.edu/services/archives/archives_collections/index.shtmlhttp://library.mssm.edu/services/archives/archives_collections/index.shtmlhttp://dspace.mssm.edu/handle/123456789/17087http://dspace.mssm.edu/handle/123456789/17087http://dspace.mssm.edu/handle/123456789/17087http://dspace.mssm.edu/handle/123456789/17087http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/podcasts/2014/12/11/bronx-faces-and-voices/http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/podcasts/2014/12/11/bronx-faces-and-voices/http://ttupress.org/books/bronx-faces-and-voiceshttp://ttupress.org/books/bronx-faces-and-voicesmailto:M.Museum%40RichardMeier.commailto:M.Museum%40RichardMeier.comhttp://ndsr.nycdigital.org/http://ndsr.nycdigital.org/http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/http://ndsr.nycdigital.org/http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/mailto:mpadilla%40metro.orgmailto:mpadilla%40metro.orgmailto:mpadilla%40metro.orghttp://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/http://ndsr.nycdigital.org/http://ndsr.nycdigital.org/mailto:M.Museum%40RichardMeier.comhttp://ttupress.org/books/bronx-faces-and-voiceshttp://ttupress.org/books/bronx-faces-and-voiceshttp://www1.cuny.edu/mu/podcasts/2014/12/11/bronx-faces-and-voices/http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/podcasts/2014/12/11/bronx-faces-and-voices/http://dspace.mssm.edu/handle/123456789/17087http://dspace.mssm.edu/handle/123456789/17087http://library.mssm.edu/services/archives/archives_collections/index.shtmlhttp://library.mssm.edu/services/archives/archives_collections/index.shtml


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easurers Report

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To complete membership: Send the completed form with your membership check to A.R.T. Meship at the address listed at the top. Make checks payable to the Archivists Round Table of Metropolita

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Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donors receive no goods or services in return for their donatioof A.R.T.s latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from the organization or from the New York State Attorney GeCharities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, New York 10271.

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Metropolitan Archivist / Volume 21 No 1 / Winter 2015

metropolitan archivist volume 21, no. 1 (winter 2015)

Documents