State Library Awards $186,000 in Grants to Preserve Library Research Materials
This article originally appeared in a New York State Education Department press release.
The New York State Library awarded $186,708 in Conservation/Preservation Program Discretionary Grants to seven collecting institutions to preserve research materials, State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced today. These competitive, merit-based grants are part of a $1.99 million comprehensive, statewide program to preserve endangered materials, such as books and public records, important to the state located in libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other not-for-profit cultural organizations in New York. This year’s grants include funds for preserving microfilming, conservation treatments, stabilization, protective enclosures, and re-housing.
Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, “Libraries and cultural institutions are vital resources for academic research, lifelong learning, and civic participation and education. These preservation grants play an integral role in helping to safeguard our most valuable and historical collections to remain available for future generations of New Yorkers to study and appreciate.”
State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “Without preservation efforts, many of our rare and important documents such as manuscripts, books, and research materials, would deteriorate and become unusable, resulting in the irretrievable loss of many of our most prized cultural heritage and collective knowledge. This funding is essential to ensuring that these significant historical resources remain available for the benefit of scholars, students, and the people of New York to study, cherish, and learn from.”
The New York State Library’s Division of Library Development, part of the State Education Department, administers the Conservation/Preservation Program, 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 2023 through 2024 range from $8,815 to $40,000. Grant-funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2024. The application period for next year is now open and the maximum grant award has been raised to $45,000. Read more...