New York State Library Announces January Public Programs

The New York State Library announces its upcoming programming for January, including webinars and events related to history and genealogical services. The following upcoming free programming requires registration and is available in person or offered online, as indicated per each listing.

Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources at the New York State Library
Thursday, January 11, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

The New York State Library is a treasure chest of resources for those tracing their family histories. Join us for an onsite tour highlighting published genealogies, local histories, church records, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, United States and New York State Census records, newspapers on microfilm, city directories, and more. The tour will be led by Cara Janowsky, an Associate Librarian at the New York State Library.

Register for Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources at the New York State Library

Digital Equity Roundtable Featuring Cory Doctorow (Webinar)
Friday, January 12, 2024
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Author Cory Doctorow will join this special iteration of the Digital Equity Roundtable to discuss technology and access.

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Register for Digital Equity Roundtable Featuring Cory Doctorow

William Jennings Bryan (Webinar)
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

William Jennings Bryan is best known today for his participation on the anti-evolution side of the famous Scopes Trial in 1925. But that was only the final episode in a remarkable career. Over the course of his life, Bryan was a Congressman, Secretary of State, one of the most popular lecturers of his day, publisher of a successful newspaper, and the Democratic nominee for president, not once, not twice, but three times. Because he dedicated himself to advocating for working Americans, especially small farmers, Bryan was known as the “Great Commoner.”

The webinar will be led by historian and author Sandra Opdycke, Ph.D. She has authored books about the flu epidemic of 1918, the woman suffrage movement, the WPA of the 1930s, and Bellevue Hospital, as well as a biography of Jane Addams, an historical atlas of American women’s history, and several co-authored books and articles on social policy.

Register for William Jennings Bryan

Historical Newspapers Online at the New York State Library
Thursday, January 18, 2024
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Newspapers can serve as useful primary sources for historical research. They reflect the time period in which they were created and provide a glimpse into society at the time. Senior Librarians Stephanie Barrett and Jane Bentley will discuss online databases available at the New York State Library that contain full-text historical newspapers. They will demonstrate the effective use of America's Historical Newspapers and the New York Times online databases with an emphasis on newspapers published in New York State. They will also demonstrate how to find and access New York State digital newspapers freely available on the Internet.

Register for Historical Newspapers Online at the New York State Library

Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources at the New York State Library
Friday, January 19, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

The New York State Library is a treasure chest of resources for those tracing their family histories. Join us for an onsite tour highlighting published genealogies, local histories, church records, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, United States and New York State Census records, newspapers on microfilm, city directories, and more. The tour will be led by Cara Janowsky, an Associate Librarian at the New York State Library.

Register for Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources at the New York State Library

Genealogy Research with FamilySearch
Thursday, January 25, 2024
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have onsite access to digital microfilm data that is not available to researchers using FamilySearch resources from their home computer. The New York State Library partnered with the New York State Archives to become a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. Senior Librarians Stephanie Barrett and Jane Bentley will demonstrate how to access genealogical records and online books included in this database. They will also demonstrate how to print and save records. 

Register for Genealogy Research with FamilySearch

Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America (Webinar)
Friday, January 26, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Professor Nicole Eustace of New York University will share work from her book Covered with Night, the tale of a murderous attack by settler colonists from Pennsylvania against a Seneca hunter in the winter of 1722. The book also covers the resulting cross-cultural debates about the nature of true justice and the eventual creation of a treaty agreement at Albany, New York in September of that year that still stands today—the oldest continuously recognized Indigenous treaty in Anglo-American law.

Dr. Nicole Eustace is the Julius Silver Professor of History at New York University where she also directs the Atlantic History Workshop. The author of multiple books and articles on early American history, she received a Pulitzer Prize for Covered with Night in 2022.

Register for Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America 

Northern Campaign of 1777 (Webinar)
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

The Northern Campaign of 1777 started as a major British military operation bent on furthering the destruction of the nascent United States but ended in the first British Army surrender in world history. The American victory at Saratoga not only bolstered fledgling morale at home, but it also helped secure international recognition and an alliance by which the American War for Independence was won.

Eric Schnitzer, who will be leading the webinar, has worked at Saratoga National Historical Park since 1997, becoming Park Ranger/Military Historian in 2000. He has dedicated his life's study to the organization, personnel, and material culture of the military forces associated with the Northern Campaign of 1777.

Register for Northern Campaign of 1777

Preparing for the Shadow: What you need to know about the 2024 Eclipse (Webinar)
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

In this Webinar, attendees will learn about the science behind eclipses, learn about and discuss what to expect and look for on Eclipse Day on April 8, and introduce some simple activities that libraries can do to help the public understand the phenomenon. The webinar will cover different types of eclipses and how they form, what you're likely to experience in the path of totality, what you will need to view the eclipse safely, and much more.

Dr. Mindy Townsend, who is an astrophysicist and astronomer with Dudley Observatory at Siena, will lead the webinar. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 2022, studying the growth of massive galaxies over cosmic time. As the astronomer with Dudley at Siena, Dr. Townsend spends her time organizing informal astronomy education events ranging from public lectures aimed at adults to children's workshops, as well as traveling around the state with the portable StarLab planetarium.

Register for Preparing for the Shadow: What you need to know about the 2024 Eclipse

Visit the State Library's website for a complete list of upcoming programs, including webinars, events, and onsite genealogy walking tours. Additional programs will be added to the website as they are confirmed. If any reasonable accommodation is needed (complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act), contact the Office of Cultural Education at least three business days before the program date by emailing NYSLTRN@nysed.gov or calling (518) 474-2274. 

The New York State Library is part of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department and celebrated its bicentennial in 2018. The Library serves the following three major constituencies. The Regent Joseph E. Bowman Jr. Research Library, established by law in 1818, collects, preserves, and makes available materials that support State government work. The Library's collections, now numbering over 20 million items, may also be used by other researchers onsite, online, and via interlibrary loan. The Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) lends braille, audiobooks, magazines, and special playback equipment to residents of the 55 upstate counties of New York State who cannot read printed materials because of a visual or physical disability. The Division of Library Development works in partnership with 72 library systems to bring library services to millions of people who use New York's academic, public, school, and special libraries. Library Development also administers State and Federal grant programs that provide aid for library services.