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Please contact us at publichistoriansnys@gmail.com to suggest other useful resources for New York’s Local Government Historians.
Looking for information or help? These are some resources to guide you.
New York State Historian’s Law
Consider the Source Online: Teaching With Historical Records
New York State Historian – Devin Lander
New York State Historic Markers
William G. Pomeroy Foundation – Roadside Marker Program
William G. Pomeroy Foundation Current Roadside Markers
Fulton History Post Cards and Newspapers
Advocacy/Information/Grant Resources
The National Council on Public History inspires public engagement with the past and serves the needs of practitioners in putting history to work in the world by building community among historians, expanding professional skills and tools, fostering critical reflection on historical practice, and publicly advocating for history and historians.
The Public History Commons is a project of the National Council on Public History, designed to serve the field by providing a platform where practitioners, scholars, and others with an interest in the presentation and interpretation of history in public can share ideas and resources. The site was launched in March 2012 and continues to add new components and functions.
For more than 70 years, the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has provided leadership and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all Americans.
The Government Appointed Historians of Western New York (GAHWNY) is dedicated to the promotion, research, interpretation and preservation of history relating to the western portion of the State of New York.
Greater Hudson Heritage Network is a regional service organization formed to advance and to advocate the preservation and interpretation of the area’s historical, ethnic and cultural heritages.
In partnership with diverse museums, heritage and related organizations, the Museum Association of New York (MANY) strengthens the capacity of New York State’s cultural community by supporting high professional standards, strong organizational development, and by providing advocacy, training and flexible information networks so that all may better serve their missions and communities.
The National Park Service has information on preserving historic properties through its Technical Information Services including information on tax incentives.
Humanities New York is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Humanities New York offers a variety of grants and programs that municipal historians can use to bring public history programming to their communities. Any nonprofit organization is eligible to apply, as well as municipalities.
Research Tools
New York State Library Borrower Cards
Municipal historians who are appointed by NYS city, town, village or county governments are eligible to receive a NYS Library Historian Borrower’s Card, which begin with a “P” number. Learn more from the New York State Library.
Access to New York State Records on Ancestry.com
Several New York repositories have formed a partnership with Ancestry.com to digitize family history records and make them available online for free. The list of records available is located in the bottom left corner of the Ancestry.com New York web page. Descriptions of the records as well as the holding organizations are provided through the links and logos on the Ancestry.com New York web page. Learn more from the New York State Archives.
Interlibrary Loan from the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress provides book loans, periodical article electronic copies, and newspaper microfilm loans when this material is not readily available from other sources. While genealogy and local history titles are not included in this, newspapers and items from the manuscripts collection that have been microfilmed are. Go to the Library of Congress for more information on how to take advantage of this invaluable resource.
Other Online Resources
New York Heritage is a research portal for students, educators, historians, genealogists, and anyone else who is interested in learning more about the people, places and institutions of New York State. The site provides free access to more than 170 distinct digital collections, totalling hundreds of thousands of items. The collections in New York Heritage represent a broad range of historical, scholarly, and cultural materials held in libraries, museums, and archives throughout the state. Collection items include photographs, letters, diaries, directories, maps, newspapers, books, and more.
Hudson River Valley Heritage — Explore materials from libraries and cultural heritage institutions that document the rich history of New York’s Hudson River Valley. Discover photographs, diaries, correspondence, artwork, publications, oral history interviews, and more that contribute to the story of the people, places, and events that make this region exceptional.