New York State Archives
Encyclopedia
The New York State Archives is a unit of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department
, with its main facility located in the Cultural Education Center
on Madison Avenue in Albany
, New York
, United States
. The New York State Library
and the New York State Museum
are also located in the Cultural Education Center
.
In 1987 the New York State Archives assumed the responsibility for overseeing management and disposition of state government records, including operation of the State Records Center in Albany. Legislation in 1988 created the Documentary Heritage Program that provided for regional technical advisory services and competitive grants to historical societies, museums, libraries, and other nonprofit organizations holding historical records. A local government records law in 1987 required the appointment of records management officers in 4300 local governments, including every county, city, town, village, and school and special district. A Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund was established in 1989 to support technical advisory services and competitive grants to local governments to help them develop and maintain records management programs. Under this legislation nine regional offices were created to provide archives and records management advice and support to every area of the State.
The New York State Archives serves students and teachers, scholars and community researchers, government officials, the legal and business community, and the general public. It encourages students through awards, grants, and internships; helps teachers use historical documents as primary source material in the classroom; and offers stipends for research using State Archives’ records. The nonprofit Archives Partnership Trust, established in 1992, provides support for preservation of and access to the treasures of the State Archives, educational projects that make historical records available to teachers and students and programs that promote New York State’s archives and history.
New York State Education Department
The New York State Education Department is the state education department in New York. It is part of the University of the State of New York , one of the most complete, interconnected systems of educational services in the United States...
, with its main facility located in the Cultural Education Center
Cultural Education Center
The Cultural Education Center is attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, United States. Specifically located on Madison Avenue, it faces northward towards the New York State Capitol building...
on Madison Avenue in Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The New York State Library
New York State Library
The New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department. The Library and its sister institutions, the New York State Museum and New York State Archives, are housed in the Cultural Education Center...
and the New York State Museum
New York State Museum
The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
are also located in the Cultural Education Center
Cultural Education Center
The Cultural Education Center is attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, United States. Specifically located on Madison Avenue, it faces northward towards the New York State Capitol building...
.
Organization
The New York State Archives was established in 1971 to preserve and make accessible recorded evidence documenting New York State’s history, governments, events, and peoples from the 17th century to the present. Full operations began in 1978 when the organization’s storage and research facility opened in the Cultural Education Center (CEC). The facility provides access to over 200 million documents relating to Dutch and British colonial rule, as well as to records from the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of state government. Topics covered in those records include relations with American Indians, the Erie Canal and westward expansion, industrial development, labor, the rise of the modern social welfare system, public education, public health, the environmental movement, and numerous military conflicts.In 1987 the New York State Archives assumed the responsibility for overseeing management and disposition of state government records, including operation of the State Records Center in Albany. Legislation in 1988 created the Documentary Heritage Program that provided for regional technical advisory services and competitive grants to historical societies, museums, libraries, and other nonprofit organizations holding historical records. A local government records law in 1987 required the appointment of records management officers in 4300 local governments, including every county, city, town, village, and school and special district. A Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund was established in 1989 to support technical advisory services and competitive grants to local governments to help them develop and maintain records management programs. Under this legislation nine regional offices were created to provide archives and records management advice and support to every area of the State.
The New York State Archives serves students and teachers, scholars and community researchers, government officials, the legal and business community, and the general public. It encourages students through awards, grants, and internships; helps teachers use historical documents as primary source material in the classroom; and offers stipends for research using State Archives’ records. The nonprofit Archives Partnership Trust, established in 1992, provides support for preservation of and access to the treasures of the State Archives, educational projects that make historical records available to teachers and students and programs that promote New York State’s archives and history.