(A) Definitions

(1) Historical society means a not-for-profit unincorporated association primarily educational or historical in purpose, or an education corporation formed by the Board of Regents, with purposes limited to a reasonable and clearly defined geographical area or to one or more specific subjects of interest, which gathers, preserves, advances or disseminates knowledge about the past through research, collections management, preservation and/or interpretation, which carries on educational programs on a regular schedule, and which makes its programs and resources available to the public.

(2) Research means a careful search of and studious inquiry into the historic record conducted in support of a society's stated purposes in order to bring to light new facts or revise accepted conclusions about past events.

(3) Collections management means the application of current professionally accepted methods to the maintenance and use of historic records, objects, structures, sites or areas, and the encouragement of similar practices by individuals or other institutions with regard to such records, objects, structures, sites or areas.

(4) Preservation means protection from loss or damage of historic records, objects, structures, sites or areas, and the encouragement of such action by individuals and other institutions with regard to such records, objects, structures, sites or areas.

(5) Interpretation means any activity directed toward the enlightenment of the public concerning the significance of the event, object, structure, site, area, activity, or other subject matter served by the society.

(6) Regular schedule means occurring at regular and predictable times and places which constitute substantially more than a token occurrence so that access is reasonably convenient to the public.

(B) Requirements for historical society chartering

(1) Provisional charter. In order to obtain a provisional charter, a historical society shall state in writing its intended purpose or purposes; submit written or other evidence, which in the judgment of the Board of Regents, makes it appear likely that the historical society will be successful in fulfilling its purpose; and indicate to the satisfaction of the Regents that the society is aware of the requirements for obtaining registration and a permanent charter, and that the society intends, from its inception, to work toward meeting these requirements in regard to its leadership, finances, collections, recordkeeping, interpretation activities, security, and annual reports.

(2) Absolute charter. In order to obtain an absolute charter, a historical society shall be registered by the Board of Regents.

(C) Use of name.

The name of the historical society shall be consistent with and clearly indicative of its purposes, and shall not be identical with or so similar to the name of any existing institution as to cause confusion between the proposed historical society and any other institution incorporated under the laws of New York.

(D) Requirements for historical society registration.

To be eligible for registration, a historical society shall meet the following requirements:

(1) Competent leadership. A Society's leadership shall consist of at least one person, paid or unpaid, who commands an appropriate body of knowledge and the ability to plan and implement programs of a historical nature which are of educational benefit to the public and which reflect the purpose of the society.

(2) Finances. The society shall have sufficient income and assets to carry out the purposes for which it was established.

(3) Physical facilities. The physical facilities of the society shall be adequate for their purposes.

(4) Collections. If a society collects historical material, its collections shall reflect the stated purpose of the society, shall be adequate for their purpose, and shall receive care in accordance with a collections policy commensurate with current acceptable standards for such care.

1. Collections records. A society that collects historical material, such as three-dimensional artifacts or historical records, papers, or archives, shall maintain records of its collections, their acquisition and disposition, and, as appropriate, catalogs, calendars, or finding guides to collections.
2. Acquisition and disposal of collections. The society shall adopt a written statement of policy governing the acquisition and the removal of any items from the society's collection. Such policy shall assure that the interest of the public in the collections is safeguarded in accordance with professionally accepted standards.
3. Historical records. A historical society which collects historical records, documents, papers, archives, or similar written or printed materials shall have developed a clearly outlined plan which shall:
   1. define the geographical, subject, time period, or other scope of such collecting;
   2. describe the principles followed in the arrangements and description of such records, and the types of finding aids used to describe and promote access to such records.
   3. provide for the appropriate environmental conditions, security, preservation and conservation of such records;
   4. assure the appropriate degree of expertise on the part of those immediately responsible for such collections;
   5. describe the use or uses to be made of such records; and
   6. assure accessibility to such records by researchers or other appropriate users.

(6) Security. A society shall provide adequate security for its natural sites, physical facilities, or collections.

(7) Annual reports. An annual report shall be filed with the Commissioner of Education recording the educational and cultural activities of the society and presenting an accurate financial statement of its operations. This report shall be in a form prescribed by the Commissioner of Education.

(E) Scope and duration of registration.

(1) The registration of a historical society shall remain in effect for a period of five years from the date such registration is approved by the Board of Regents, and shall be renewable at intervals of five years thereafter.

(2) The registration of a historical society shall apply only to the purposes and activities previously defined in this section. No historical society shall use either of the words "library" or "museum" in connection with its operations unless authority to operate a library or museum is conferred by the charter of the society and the library or museum operation meets the requirements of the Rules of the Board of Regents and the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education with respect to the operation and registration of a library or museum.