State Library Awards $148,000 in Grants to Preserve Library Research Materials

The New York State Library awarded $148,440 in Conservation/Preservation Program Discretionary Grants, New York State Librarian Lauren Moore announced today. These grants are part of a $2 million comprehensive, statewide program to preserve endangered or deteriorating materials with important research value located in libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other not-for-profit cultural organizations throughout New York State. Aligned with the Library's mission to preserve important state historical collections, this year's grants include funds to repair and rehouse architectural drawings, digitize audio recordings, preserve microfilm of local newspapers, and rehouse photographic negatives.

New York State Librarian Lauren Moore said, "From architectural drawings of the Bronx Zoo and records from the New York Botanical Garden to photographs documenting life in the North Country and local news archives from Columbia County, these projects reflect a wide range of materials that provide an important piece of New York's history. We are proud to help ensure these resources are preserved for future generations to research, learn from, and enjoy."

Serving as the backbone of our state's public library infrastructure, the New York State Library provides leadership, funding, and coordination that enable local libraries, archives, and cultural institutions in every region of the state to preserve collections, expand access, and serve their communities effectively. Through its Division of Library Development, the New York State Library administers the NYS Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials which provides State funding for libraries and other organizations engaged in efforts to preserve deteriorating library research materials. The program was established as part of the landmark 1984 library legislation and was expanded in 1986 and 1990.

Grant awards for the 2025-2026 cycle range from $8,040 to $42,391.

The New York Botanical Garden - The Preservation and Accessibility of the Institutional Records Collection in the New York Botanical Garden's Archives

City: Bronx | County: Bronx | Amount: $13,851

The Institutional Records of the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) document the organization's growth as a major scientific, educational, and cultural institution, as well as the broader development of American botanical science and horticulture. These collections provide valuable insight into NYBG's role within the social and cultural landscape of New York City, New York State, and beyond. Grant funds will support the replacement of acidic and damaged boxes and folders with appropriate archival housing, ensuring long-term preservation and accessibility.

NYC Department of Records and Information Services - Manhattan Building Plans Preservation Project

City: New York | County: New York | Amount: $39,471

This project will preserve approximately 7,000 architectural records documenting buildings across 60 blocks in Manhattan's Lower East Side and East Village neighborhoods. Dating from 1866 through the 1970s, the collection includes sections, elevations, floor plans, and engineering diagrams. Preservation work will address deterioration that currently threatens the records' content and accessibility.

Roeliff Jansen Community Library - Preserving the Local News

City: Hillsdale | County: Columbia | Amount: $8,040

Grant funds will support the preservation of the Columbia Paper. The project will microfilm issues from 2017 through 2024, building on earlier preservation work that covered 1993 through 2016. Microfilming provides a stable archival format and serves as an essential first step toward future digitization, ensuring long-term access to this material.

St. Lawrence County Historical Association - Preservation of the Betty Steele Negative Collection

City: Canton | County: St. Lawrence | Amount: $42,391

Spanning approximately 50 years, from the 1950s through the 2000s, this collection includes more than 80,000 photographic negatives, along with related prints, notebooks, and written materials created by Ogdensburg and Huevelton photographer Daphne M. "Betty" Steele (1925-2023). The materials document daily life in St. Lawrence County and reflect the work of one of the area's few prolific female photographers. Funds will support cataloguing and rehousing the collection in appropriate archival sleeves and boxes.

Wildlife Conservation Society - To Build a Zoo: Preserving Bronx Zoo Architectural Drawings

City: Bronx | County: Bronx | Amount: $22,612

Comprising approximately 6,500 architectural drawings dating from the late 1890s through the late 1990s, this collection documents the design and development of the Bronx Zoo. The drawings offer insight into the evolution of modern zoo design and shifting attitudes toward animals and wildlife conservation. Grant funds will support inventorying the collection, rehousing drawings in acid-free folders, and reducing overcrowding through the addition of new flat file storage.

Yeshiva University - Digitization of the Rabbi David Hollander Audio Recordings Collection

City: New York | County: New York | Amount: $22,075

This project will preserve and digitize audio recordings from the archival collection of Rabbi David Hollander (1913-2009), a prominent New York City pulpit rabbi and influential leader in the Jewish community. This collection includes speeches he made over the course of his long career, currently stored on 170 reel-to-reel tapes and 495 cassette tapes. Grant funds will support proper digitization.

The Conservation/Preservation Discretionary Grant Program provides financial support for projects that contribute to the preservation of significant research materials in not-for-profit libraries, archives, historical societies and other organizations within the State of New York, whether by improving collection storage environments, reformatting or treating collections, or other preservation activities.

Since 1986 more than $15 million has been awarded through the Discretionary Grant Program to encourage the proper care and accessibility of research materials in the State, to promote the use and development of guidelines and standards for conservation/preservation practices, and to support the growth of local and cooperative preservation programs.

About the New York State Library

The New York State Library, established in 1818, is the largest state library in the nation and one of the largest research libraries in North America. It oversees a vast network of more than 7,000 libraries statewide, serving a diverse audience that includes researchers, educators, patrons, lawmakers, state agencies, and the general public.

The Library preserves and maintains invaluable historical collections and works, and serves as a Regional Depository for federal publications. It administers the Federal Depository Library Program in partnership with 65 selective Federal depository libraries throughout New York State. Additionally, the State Library is the official repository of New York State government publications, ensuring their enduring preservation and accessibility for future generations.

The Library's mission is advanced through several key divisions, including the Research Library, which houses a collection of over 20 million items, the Talking Book and Braille Library, a free service for eligible New Yorkers unable to use standard print materials, and the Division of Library Development, which identifies opportunities to improve and expand modern library services throughout the state.

A vital part of the Office of Cultural Education, the New York State Library is located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, N.Y. and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Its robust collections are accessible onsite and through an interlibrary loan program. Researchers worldwide can also explore government documents and historical materials through the New York State Library's Digital Collections.

For more information, please visit the New York State Library website and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.