New York Heritage Digital Collections

Reviewed by: Melissa McDonald

Review date: March 20, 2025

Site Link: https://nyheritage.org/

Archive Link: https://archive.ph/LbKpk ; https://archive.ph/NBPln (About page)

Keywords: Archiving, Crowdsourcing, Digitization

Data Sources:

• Artwork
  
• Audio Recordings
  
• Correspondence
  
• Diaries and Manuscripts
  
• Directories
  
• Film and Video
  
• Financial and Legal Documents
  
• Journals and Periodicals
  
• Maps
  
• Oral Histories
  
• Photographs
  
• Physical Objects
  
• Postcards
  
• Records and Ephemera
  
• Scrapbooks
  
• Yearbooks

Processes:

• Collections from various libraries, colleges and universities, historical societies, museums, and other cultural institutions from the state of New York are digitized and catalogued
  
• Collections are catalogued to be searchable by topic, type, and time period

Presentation:

This project is a web-based digital archive. Users can browse various collections contributed by cultural institutions from around the State of New York by exhibit, region, category, and organization from the home page. The homepage has a search bar, one featured collection from each region of New York State, selected categories, and other related repositories. In the footer of the homepage there are resources for contributors and educators, citation, and copyright information.

Digital Tools Used:

• Content Management System is through the Empire State Library Network (ESLN)
  
• Google Forms
  
• CONTENTdm

Languages:

• English

Review

The New York Heritage Digital Collection is a collaborative project with eight of nine library councils in the Empire State Library Network (ESLN) that digitizes predominantly analog content from across New York State to be accessible to all, but especially educators in the state. The photographs, letters, diaries, maps, directories, artifacts, oral histories, to name just a few categories in this collection have been contributed by over 430 libraries, museums, archives, and other cultural institutions in order to provide a glimpse into the history and culture of New York State. ESLN’s mission is to advance libraries and archives in New York State through programs and collaboration. The eight contributing library councils are the Capital District Library Council, Central New York Resources Library Council, Long Island Library Resources Council, Northern New York Library Network, Rochester Regional Library Council, Southeastern New York Library Resources Council, South Central Regional Library Council, and Western New York Library Resources Council. Within each council's page the full list of contributors from the region is given and linkedl. The New York Heritage Digital Collection is just one of the five digital projects that ESLN supports.

The user can navigate the website using the search bar on the home page. This function pulls all artifacts pertaining to the specified key word across collections on the site. I used the key word “upstate” and was shown 3,534 records. This page features additional search criteria down the left side that allows the user to see all collections represented in the search and narrow down the search by years, subject, spatial convergence, format, and relation. The user can also browse all artifacts by relevance, title, date, and description. Another way to explore the site is selecting collections, organizations, or exhibits on the top right of the homepage. Collections bring the user to a page that arranges the collections by number and then alphabetically. The user can narrow down the search by selecting a specific number or letter to highlight collections with those parameters, or filter the search by topic, collection type, and time period. Organizations is similar to Collections, but the user is able to search collections by which organization contributed them. This can also be narrowed down using a number or letter, and additionally by county and ESLN Council.

Once the user selects a collection to explore they are brought to a landing page with a brief description of what the collection features, provides the historical context, and lays out the scope of the collection. I chose to look at the collection called Champlain Canal Stories which was contributed by the Crandall Public Library. The organization's page provides contact information and a description of the institution. I appreciated the historical context provided for each collection and found that it made navigating the large amount of content more manageable. I grew up in this region of New York State, so I began browsing the items, which are organized alphabetically, looking for images or photo titles that were familiar. Each item has a descriptive title, for example Champlain Canal at Sandy Hill, NY and a brief description. One item I looked at was a postcard that features a scan of both the front and the back, including a transcription of the handwritten note on the back. This particular image shows a lumber mill that I grew up walking by, but in a much better state. I enjoyed getting to connect personally with this material and I think it would be a great teaching tool for local historians and educators.

There are twelve Exhibits featured in the New York Heritage Digital Collections. I decided to look at the exhibit Immigration in New York State, 1650-1950. The page gives an overview of the exhibit and acknowledges the complexities of immigration, the displacement of Native Americans, and the lack of historic records from more marginalized communities. The exhibit is very well organized and provides detailed, but succinct, summaries on the history of New York State from New Netherlands through post World War II along with a small collection of related artifacts. I found the exhibit informative and interesting. The exhibits are well made and could easily be incorporated into lesson plans. There is a call for additional collaborators, specifically those from more marginalized immigrant communities. I appreciated the focus on inclusion and active curation of the exhibit.

This project aims to bring attention to New York State history and culture by bringing together library councils from across the state to collaborate and educate. A primary audience of this project is students, teachers, and other educators. In this spirit, the New York Heritage Digital Collections provides information for contributors and for educators. The information for contributors gives a comprehensive guide for how to contribute to the archive, which removes barriers for potential contributors. The section for educators highlights that the project has been built to support the New York State K-12 Social Studies Framework and gives additional resources for inquiry based learning, lesson plans, and other useful digital sources. I think this project is a great resource for students, teachers and educators across the State of New York.

How are the collaborative aspects reflected in the project and are there elements that work particularly well?

This project is built on the collaboration of library councils inside the Empire State Library Network (ESLN). The collaboration spans the entirety of New York State and provides a comprehensive database of artifacts for educators, students, historians, and anyone interested in New York State history. This database is a valuable tool that brings together a lot of information and puts it in an easy to use digital archive.

Do you see an opportunity for collaboration that would be helpful to the project?

There is ample opportunity for contributions to the New York Heritage Digital Collection from all New Yorkers, both on an individual and institutional level. The archive is actively seeking contributions from New Yorkers and provides easy to follow steps in order to do so.