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New-York Historical Society public programs and education records

Call Number

NYHS-RG 23

Date

1941-2014 (bulk, 1984-2004), inclusive

Creator

New-York Historical Society

Extent

37.71 Linear feet in 43 boxes (29 record cartons, 11 document boxes, and 3 other boxes of various sizes)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The New-York Historical Society public programs and education records include files related to the creation, publicity, outreach, funding, management, and implementation of N-YHS's programs, principally for the years 1984-1992. Regular programming included, among other things, panel discussions, lectures, concerts, films, museum gallery tours, teacher/educator workshops, and special collaborations such as arts-in-education classes or programs for at-risk students.

Biographical/Historical Note

In 1928, New-York Historical Society's Act of Incorporation was amended by the state legislature to recognize the organization's mission as including "educational purposes." This had important tax advantages, but it also reflected the vision of the chief executive officer at the time, Librarian Alexander J. Wall, to expand public access to N-YHS's resources. Presentations on historical topics, public access to the galleries and even school tours had long been a feature of N-YHS's programs, but financial constraints limited these. In the late 1930s, with the receipt of the large Thompson bequest, the renovation and expansion of the Central Park West building, and the hiring of a small staff to direct educational programs, the programs could, and did, expand, even to include concerts and films, among other initiatives.

Librarian Wall died in 1944, but his son, Alexander J. Wall, Jr., became N-YHS's Head of Education and Public Relations in 1946 when he returned from the military at the close of World War II. With the exception of the 1950s, this connection between programs and public relations continued until educational programs were cutback in the early 1980s in the face of financial difficulties. This cutback was short-lived, and in 1983 N-YHS hired Carole Slatkin as Director of Public Programs. Over the course of the next several years, programming would expand aggressively in quantity and in N-YHS's willingness to move in new, even provocative, directions. It is this period from about 1984 through 1992 that is the principal focus of the current content of the public programs and education record group.

Carole Slatkin remained Director of Public Programs until about 1989 when she was replaced by Rae Alexander-Minter. Slatkin continued to work on program-related projects until she left N-YHS. Stephanie Starr worked as an Associate for Public Programs in the 1980s, replaced when she left N-YHS about 1989 by Erika Sanger. Judith M. Giuriceo became an Associate for School Programs about 1990. Jane Lattes was the docent/volunteer coordinator until about 1989 when Marion Galison took that role. Alisa Aydin was an administrative assistant in the unit around 1990. All these individuals, in their active management of programming activities, appear in the documents of the record group. In January 1993, at the height of N-YHS's fiscal crisis, the galleries closed to the public, bringing an end to the program staff and explaining the clear break in the records here. The galleries re-opened in mid-1995 with a renewed emphasis on education and public programs, one that has greatly developed well beyond even the significant initiatives of the late 1980s-1990s.

Following is some background on certain unique initiatives for which there is extensive documentation in the record group:

Summer Institute: This teacher workshop was conducted for three summers (1987-1989). Centered on the theme "Teaching the Constitution," the workshop accepted about fifteen educators each year from public and private schools of various grades to participate in three weeks of readings, lectures, and discussions. Each teacher developed a lesson plan as a final project based on knowledge gained during the workshop and using N-YHS's library resources. The program was overseen by Carole Slatkin, though directed by Gail Sussman Marcus, who was hired specifically to focus on the Institute's development and implementation.

U.S. Constitution Programs: The Summer Institute used the Constitution as its organizing focus at least in part because 1987 was the Constitution's bicentennial. N-YHS engaged in several educational programs drawing on this anniversary and the associated exhibition it mounted, Government by Choice: Inventing the Constitution. Among these programs were U.S. Constitution on the Air (a series of radio programs and related curriculum guide) and a set of teacher programs called The Bicentennial Connection. These initiatives were done in partnership with others, including a New York City educational program called Impact II, and with funding from the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.

Why History?: This series of programs started in 1990 as an initiative to examine the meaning of history and its relationship to contemporary issues in America. It attempted to thematically link multiple events across three program components: panel discussions, film series, and music presentations. The 1991 series added a sub-theme: Why History? Race and Class. 1992's sub-theme was: Why History? What is American?

New York Tapes: This was a pilot program, or prototype, conducted in August 1990, that videotaped New Yorkers at various places in the city, telling personal stories. It was produced by video artist Wendy Clarke and directed by Gary Glassman in conjunction with N-YHS, with funding by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.

Lab School Programs: This arts-in-education program was begun in 1991 as a collaboration between N-YHS and the William J. O'Shea Junior High School, or IS 44, using the Luman Reed Gallery as its centerpiece. In 1992, a second project was started, initially to study local history, but eventually to focus on Seneca Village. In addition to IS 44, collaborations included Central Park East Secondary School and the Trinity School.

Liberty Scholars Program: This was begun in October 1990, funded by the State Education Department as part of the Governor's Liberty Partnerships Program concerning at-risk students. Conducted in collaboration with Bank Street College, the program included eight Saturday sessions during which the students visited N-YHS to tour, meet professionals, learn about the various operations of libraries and museums, and to work on a local history project.

Returning the Gift: This project included various activities in order that North American Native writers might share their work. N-YHS was one of four outreach sites.

Arrangement Note

The New-York Historical Society public programs and education records are organized in the following series:

Series I. Program Files

Series II. Teaching Resources

Series III. Docent John B. Snook Files

Scope and Contents Note

The New-York Historical Society public programs and education records include files related to the creation, publicity, outreach, funding, management, and implementation of NYHS's programs, principally for the years 1984-1992. Regular programming included, among other things, panel discussions, lectures, concerts, films, and museum gallery tours. The programs also included school age education programs, such as tours for schoolchildren and teacher/educator workshops, as well as special collaborations such as arts-in-education classes or programs for at-risk students. The record group includes documents such as correspondence, plans, scripts, background information for docents, evaluations, statistical reports (e.g., attendance), logistical arrangements (e.g., group reservations, docent scheduling, expenses), classroom teacher resources, brochures, funding requests, and more. Special programs well-documented in the record group are, among others, the array of activities conducted by N-YHS in connection with the 1987 bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and the Why History? series (1990-1992) that sought to explore historical themes in direct relation to present day concerns. The record group also holds the reference files of John B. Snook, a docent at N-YHS from 1995-2004.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation Note

This collection should be cited as the New-York Historical Society public programs and education records (NYHS-RG 23), The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Related Archival Materials Note

This finding aid relates to just one record group of the New-York Historical Society archives. For information about the other record groups and for overall information about the archives, please see the Guide to the New-York Historical Society Archives (NYHS-RG Archives). Other record groups that are processed and are especially related to the New-York Historical Society public programs and education records (NYHS-RG 23) are as follows:

New-York Historical Society audiovisual (NYHS-RG 28) includes audiotapes and videotapes of some of the programs documented in this record group. The tapes, however, are currently restricted from use because they are the original and only known copies; given their age, they are fragile and the N-YHS library does not have the necessary playback equipment.

Accruals Note

Further accruals to the record group are expected over time.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:51:02 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information Note

The record group was compiled and partially arranged at some point, likely in the early 2000s. In December 2016, a rough overall arrangement of the files was implemented and a finding aid prepared by project archivist Larry Weimer. The record group was minimally processed and the bulk of the material remains in original folders.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024