Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York

Some More Sandy Disaster Recovery Resources

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 12:17 PM | Deleted user

Some More #Sandy Disaster Recovery Resources from METRO - http://metro.org/articles/disaster-recovery-resources/

Thank you to METRO for compiling this list.

Disaster Response Information & Assistance for Collections Affected by Hurricane Sandy

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 11:59 AM | Deleted user

***Disaster Response Information & Assistance for

Collections Affected by Hurricane Sandy***

Resource list via AudioVisual Preservation Solutions (AVPS):

http://www.avpreserve.com/

Thank you AVPS!

News from the American Institute for Conservation - Collections Emergency Response Team: Hurricane Sandy Alert

Sunday, October 28, 2012 12:31 PM | Anonymous member

AIC-CERT
American Institute for Conservation - Collections Emergency Response Team

WASHINGTON, D.C.undefined With Hurricane Sandy threatening the East Coast, museums, historic sites, libraries, and archives in much of the Eastern United States will be at risk. The American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the national association of conservation professionals, is offering free emergency response assistance to cultural organizations. Please help make sure that staff members of collecting institutions know to contact AIC-CERT when a disasterundefinedflooding, hurricane, earthquake, fireundefinedhas damaged collections.

Call AIC’s 24-hour assistance number at 202.661.8068 for advice by phone.

Call 202.661.8068 to arrange for a team to come to the site to complete damage assessments and help with salvage organization.

AIC-CERT volunteers have provided assistance and advice to dozens of museums, libraries, and archives since 2007. AIC-CERT teams were on the ground following Tropical Storm Irene and flooding in Minot, North Dakota in 2011, the Midwest floods in 2008, and in the Galveston area following Hurricane Ike later that year. AIC-CERT members and other AIC conservators participated in an 18-month-long project in Haiti assisting with recovery of cultural materials damaged in the 2010 earthquake.

AIC-CERT is supported and managed by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC). In 2007 and again in 2010, FAIC received funding from the Institute of Museum & Library Services to support an advanced training program for conservators and other museum professionals that resulted in a force of 107 “rapid responders” trained to assess damage and initiate salvage of cultural collections after a disaster has occurred. They are ready to assist.

Resources and information on disaster recovery and salvage can be found on the AIC website at www.conservation-us.org/disaster . The public can also call AIC-CERT at 202.661.8068.

About AIC
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works is the national membership organization supporting the professionals who preserve our cultural heritage. AIC plays a crucial role in establishing and upholding professional standards, promoting research and publications, providing educational opportunities, and fostering the exchange of knowledge among conservators, allied professionals, and the public.
Learn more about AIC at www.conservation-us.org.

About FAIC
The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works supports conservation education, research, and outreach activities that advance the conservation profession nationally and internationally while promoting understanding of our global cultural heritage.
Learn more about FAIC at www.conservation-us.org/foundation.

News from the New York State Archives: Hurricane Sandy Preparedness and Response Plan

Friday, October 26, 2012 7:39 AM | Anonymous member

Hurricane Sandy may bring widespread flooding, storm surges, and dangerous winds to New York. Take your records emergency response plan home and keep contact information for key staff, services, and resources with you at all times. Remember the New York State Archives is available to help. Visit the New York State Archives Disaster Assistance web page for resources and contact information: http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_disaster.shtml

For more about Hurricane Sandy's path, check your local weather service or the National Weather Service National Hurricane Center.

“You Are History” Open House: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Sunday, October 14, 2012 7:47 AM | Anonymous member

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Open House: “You Are History”

“What do I do with all this stuff?” is a common question asked when going through family letters, photographs and other personal items. If you have ever asked this question, don’t miss the Schomburg Center’s “You Are History” free event on Sunday, October 14, 2012, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

This is an opportunity to talk with librarians and archivists about personal records and view original materials from the Schomburg Center's vast collections. There will be specialized workshops and a tour of the exhibitions.

The Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture is located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801. No RSVP required. This event is free and open to the public. http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/64/node/185111?lref=64%2Fcalendar

This event is part of 2012 New York Archives Week.

Call for Papers: Archiving Activism

Friday, October 12, 2012 5:29 AM | Anonymous member

Ben Alexander, a panel discussion session moderator for the New York Archives Week 2012 Symposium, "Archives and Activism," has put out a call for papers for a special edition of Archival Science: Archiving Activism to be edited by Mr. Alexander and Andrew Flinn. The special edition will explore connections between archival practice and activism. Mr Alexander let ART know, "We are very interested in a attracting a breadth and depth of proposals." Archival Science is an imprint of Springer.

Deadline for proposals of 250 words or less is November 15, 2012. Selected authors will be invited to submit a full length manuscript. See the CFP for more information.

About the Editors:

Ben Alexander is an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at Queens College, The City University of New York, where he also serves as Director of Archival Studies. In addition to his full time faculty appointment, Alexander also serves as the Head of Special Collections and Archives for the Queens College Libraries.

Andrew Flinn is a Senior Lecturer and the Director of the Archives and Records Management (ARM) (including the recently (2102) merged Records and Archive Management (International) (RAMI) MA) program in the Department of Information Studies at University College London (UCL). In 2011 he was the Allen Smith Visiting Scholar in the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at Simmons College, Boston, MA.

"Project Strategies for Processing Event Documentation"

Tuesday, October 09, 2012 11:00 AM | Deleted user

Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc., Presentation:
“Project Strategies for Processing Event Documentation"

Wednesday, October 10, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

FREE, RSVP is required. RSVP to harley@franklinfurnace.org

Johanna Went, "Twin Travel Terror," 1987

Martha Wilson, Founding Director of the Franklin Furnace Archive, which focuses on the preservation and celebration of all forms of avant-garde art, will discuss the organization’s recently completed project to create and expand its online event archives, in a program titled "Publishing Franklin Furnace's Second Decade Online: Providing Intellectual Access to Variable Media Art." Michael Katchen, Senior Archivist, will present a guide for digitization, Best Practices and Guidelines: Digitization at Franklin Furnace Archive Inc., which is published on Franklin Furnace's website and is used by other art spaces, such as Hallwalls in Buffalo, and LACE in Los Angeles.

The online database, the digitization and publication of which was supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Booth Ferris Foundation, contains 11,762 images and associated metadata documenting the organization’s first two decades in operation. The organization is currently looking for funding to digitize and publish its third decade of event records.

The evening’s events will include an open house and a tour of the archives, followed by a formal presentation and discussion.

www.franklinfurnace.org

Location: Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc. 80 Hanson Place, Suite #301,

Brooklyn, New York

RSVP is required. Up to 20 visitors may be accommodated.

RSVP to harley@franklinfurnace.org

Submitted by Haley Richardson, ART Reporter

The Historian as Activist: One Man’s Struggle to Rescue a Forgotten Civic Hero from Obscurity and Disgrace

Monday, October 08, 2012 2:24 PM | Deleted user

The Manhattan Borough Historian’s Office, the General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York, and the New York Preservation Archive Project, Presentation and Interview:

“The Historian as Activist: One Man’s Struggle to Rescue a Forgotten Civic Hero from Obscurity and Disgrace” 

Wednesday, October 10, 6:30 p.m.
FREE No RSVP Required

Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione, left, accepts award from

the American Friends of the Georgian Group for promoting New York City history and

raising awareness for the early historic preservation movement from John Kinnear,

President, the Georgian Group, September 26, 2012.
Photo by: John McKenzie

A decade ago, Michael Miscione, a television producer for NYC-TV, set out to introduce New Yorkers to the forgotten legacy of Andrew H. Green, whose work as a preservationist and city planner helped to turn their city in to the world-class metropolis it is today. Miscione’s one-man quest to solidify Green’s place in the historical narrative of New York City will be the focus of an in-depth interview and illustrated presentation Wednesday night, as part of the 2012 New York Archives Week celebration. In conversation with Anthony C. Wood, founder of the New York Preservation Archive Project, Miscione will discuss his path to historical activism and his current role as Manhattan Borough Historian, as well as the trials and tribulations of adding another important figure to the long and storied past of New York City.

"I'm very excited about this interview,” Miscione says. “I seldom get asked about the nuts-and-bolts of the work I've done to promote [Green]. Often those war stories are every bit as interesting as the historical facts. Plus, it will give me a chance to name and thank the people who have helped me along the way."

Join Michael Miscione and Anthony C. Wood at the General Society Library (20 West 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) on Wednesday, October 10, at 6:30pm. This event is free; no RSVP is required.

Submitted by Haley Richardson, ART Reporter

A Long-Awaited Tribute: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian House and Pavilion

Sunday, October 07, 2012 5:50 PM | Deleted user

2012 New York Archives Week:

Guggenheim Museum, Exhibition Tour

“A Long-Awaited Tribute: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian House and Pavilion”

Wednesday, October 10, 3:00 p.m.

Frank Lloyd Wright and David Henken reviewing architectural

drawings for the pavilion, 1953. Photo: © Pedro E. Guerrero
Image via Guggenheim Museum

Join Francine Snyder, Director of the Library and Archives at the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, for a tour of the Sackler Center for Arts
Education’s “long-awaited” exhibition of materials documenting Frank Lloyd
Wright’s first buildings in New York City, including the 1953 exhibition
pavilion and model Usonian home erected where the Guggenheim Museum now
stands. “While many of Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings are iconic,” Snyder
says, “the exhibition pavilion and accompanying Usonian house are not well
known. It's wonderful to be able to tell this story through materials from
the archives.”

The 10,000 square-foot, glass and fiberboard exhibition pavilion and
attached model Usonian house featured a traveling exhibition of Wright’s

work and featured sixteen model buildings, photographs, floor plans, and
drawings. Visitors were invited at the time to enter the fully-furnished home through
the courtyard of the pavilion to experience the “distinctively American,
middle-class” furnishings and artwork, which included items designed by
Wright himself and mobiles constructed by Alexander Calder.

Web Site: www.guggenheim.org/ and www.guggenheim.org/usonian

Location: Guggenheim Museum, Sackler Center, 1071 Fifth Ave, New York, NY

RSVP is required. RSVP to archives@guggenheim.org Limited to 25 participants.

Tour details sent upon confirmation of RSVP. Tour will be followed by the
option for participants to visit additional museum galleries on their own.

Submitted by Haley Richardson, ART Reporter

Hart Island Project: Hearing TOMORROW to Improve Access to Burial Records

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 5:12 PM | Deleted user

The Advocacy Committee of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) supports the Hart Island Project in its effort to provide visibility and access to the New York City public cemetery on Hart’s Island. In particular, ART agrees that the Department of Corrections should make their electronic database of people buried at Hart’s Island since 1977 available on its website, and will submit written testimony in favor of open records at the upcoming New York City Council Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services hearing on Thursday, September 27, 2012.

The New York City Council Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services will hold a hearing on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 1pm in the 14th floor Committee Room at 250 Broadway, in Manhattan, on the following two bills:

Int. No. 803

By Council Members Crowley, Oddo, Vacca, Lander, Cabrera, Dromm, Eugene, Ferreras, Foster, James, Koo, Koppell, Koslowitz, Levin, Palma, Rose, Williams, Wills, Weprin, Mendez, Mark-Viverito and Halloran.

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the Department of Correction to make its electronic database of people buried at Hart’s Island, since 1977, available on its website.

Int. No. 804

By Council Members Crowley, Oddo, Vacca, Lander, Brewer, Cabrera, Dromm, Eugene, Foster, Jackson, James, Koo, Koppell, Koslowitz, Levin, Palma, Rose, Wills, Mendez, Mark-Viverito and Halloran.

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the Department of Correction to put its Hart’s Island visitation policy in writing, post it on its website, and make it available to anyone who requests a copy.

Hearings are open to the public. Interested ART members are encouraged to attend. If you wish to testify, please contact hearings@council.nyc.ny.us

If you would like to receive copies of these bills or advanced copies of testimony, please contact:

Melinda Hunt
Director of The Hart Island Project
Email: hartisland@aol.com

More information about The Hart Island Project is available via the Current Actions section of the Advocacy Committee website.