New York State Archives facts for kids
The New York State Archives is like a giant memory bank for New York State. It's part of the New York State Education Department. Its main building is in Albany, New York, inside the Cultural Education Center. The New York State Library and the New York State Museum are also in this center.
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What is the New York State Archives?
The New York State Archives was created in 1971. Its main job is to keep and share important documents. These documents tell the story of New York State's history. They cover its governments, big events, and people. The Archives keeps records from the 1600s until today. It fully opened its doors in 1978. That's when its storage and research building opened in the Cultural Education Center.
What Kind of Records Does the Archives Keep?
The Archives protects and shares over 270 million documents. These records date back to the 1600s. This was when the Dutch and British ruled the area. The Archives keeps records from all parts of the state government. This includes the lawmakers, courts, and executive offices.
Some interesting topics in these records are:
- How New York interacted with Native Americans.
- The building of the Erie Canal and westward expansion.
- How industries grew and changed.
- The history of workers and labor.
- The start of modern social welfare programs.
- Public education and health.
- The environmental movement.
- New Yorkers' roles in many wars.
The collection includes nearly 13,000 documents about the New Netherland colony. There are also records about building the Erie Canal. These include maps, engineering drawings, and old glass plate negatives. The Archives also has over 50,000 movie film scripts. These are from the 1920s to the 1960s. You can search for these film scripts online. The Archives' website also has over 100,000 digital images. These include maps and photos. You can also find an online catalog and online guides to all the records.
How Does the Archives Help New York State?
Since 1987, the Archives has helped manage state government records. It also runs the State Records Center in Albany. In 1988, a program called the Documentary Heritage Program started. This program helps historical societies, museums, and libraries. It gives them advice and grants to care for historical records. Now, this help is free through the DHPSNY program.
A law in 1987 made local governments appoint records managers. This includes every county, city, town, and school district. A special fund was set up in 1989. This fund helps local governments manage their records. The Archives gives advice and support to all parts of the state. Over $250 million in grants have been given out.
The New York State Archives helps many different people. This includes students, teachers, and researchers. It also helps government officials and the general public.
Programs for Students and Teachers
The Archives encourages students with awards and internships. It helps teachers use historical documents in the classroom. It also offers money for research using its records. The yearly Student Research Award gives money to students. This is for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The projects must use historical records.
The Archives has an online resource for teachers. It helps them use primary sources in class. The Consider the Source system has thousands of images. It also has teaching materials made by teachers. The Hackman Research Residency program helps scholars. It gives them money for travel. This lets them come to Albany to use the Archives' resources. They can do research and learn new things from old documents.
New York State Archives Partnership Trust
The New York State Archives Partnership Trust is a special group. It works to create money to protect old records. It is also located in the Cultural Education Center. This Trust has a board of leaders. It helps pay for programs that protect records. It also supports education and outreach. These programs help the work of the State Archives. The Trust also publishes a magazine. It's called New York Archives. It has articles and photos about New York State history.
See also
- Albany Convention Center
- Capital District Transportation Authority
- The Egg, Albany
- Port of Albany-Rensselaer
