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New-York Historical Society audiovisual media records

Call Number

NYHS-RG 28

Date

1974-2002, inclusive

Creator

New-York Historical Society

Extent

12.13 Linear feet in nine record cartons and eight document boxes.

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The New-York Historical Society audiovisual media records primarily include videocassettes and audiocassettes from the late 1980s to early 1990s. N-YHS's lectures, panel discussions and concerts organized around the "Why History?" theme (1990-92) and programs connected to the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution (1987) are especially well-documented, though many other presentations in video or audio format are also included. Audiotapes include training for docents and N-YHS education staff concerning particular N-YHS exhibitions and gallery installations. The record group is currently restricted because of the lack of appropriate playback equipment and the fragility of the tapes.

Arrangement Note

The record group is organized in three series:

Series I. Moving Images

Series II. Audiotapes

Series III. Digital Media

Scope and Contents Note

The record group includes audiovisual formats, primarily videocassettes and audiocassettes, that were found in the archive as standalone objects. (Audiovisual formats found in exhibition or other files remain in those files in other record groups.) These formats date principally from the late 1980s to early 1990s, though there are some into the early 2000s. The subject matter of the videotapes includes mostly public programs, especially the "Why History?" lectures and panel discussions of 1990-1992. Educational programs, public service announcements, exhibition openings, and some History Makers award events have videos. Audiotapes also include programs, such as "Why History?," but also have a broader range of topics, including docent and education staff training for exhibitions and gallery installations. Programs related to the exhibition Government by Choice: Inventing the U.S. Constitution and other initiatives connected to the bicentennial of the Constitution in 1987 are well-represented in the record group. The record group is currently restricted because of the lack of appropriate playback equipment and the fragility of the tapes.

Access Restrictions

The record group is restricted. The record group includes audiovisual formats that are too fragile to play. Access requires special arrangements/reformatting of the media. The materials are stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Preferred Citation Note

This record group should be cited as New-York Historical Society audiovisual media records (NYHS-RG 28), The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

The record group is restricted. The record group includes audiovisual formats that are too fragile to play. Access requires special arrangements/reformatting of the media. The materials are 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 available to researchers and are especially related to the New-York Historical Society audiovisual media records (NYHS-RG 28) are as follows:

Much of the record group relates to public and education programs and docent training with respect to exhibition and gallery tours. Documentation about these programs can be found in the New-York Historical Society public programs and education records (NYHS-RG 23).

This record group includes only those audiovisual and digital formats found as standalone objects when the archive was processed in 2015-16. Media found in files with other documents, such as exhibition files, were left with those records. Tapes are rare in these other files, but digital formats such as CDs and DVDs are common, especially in the New-York Historical Society Museum Department records (NYHS-RG 20).

Accruals Note

Further accruals to the record group are expected over time.

Collection processed by

Margaret Kaczorowski

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:51:03 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information Note

Most of the material in the record group was compiled and boxed at some point, likely in the early 2000s. In December 2016, project archivist Margaret Kaczorowski processed additional material into the record group, inventoried all the content at the item level, and described the whole in this finding aid. None of the media were played during processing; all of the description of the subject matter is based on information from the labels on the media.

Repository

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