New York State Library Announces May Public Programs

The New York State Library announces its upcoming programming for May 2024, including webinars and events related to genealogical services, small business development assistance, and other interesting topics. The following upcoming free programming requires registration and is available either in person or online, as indicated in each listing.

Basic Salvage Techniques for Paper Collections

Monday, May 6, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (In person at the Corning Museum of Glass)
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (In person at the Corning Museum of Glass)
Thursday, May 30, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (In person at the Genesee Country Village Museum)
Friday, May 31, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (In person at the Genesee Country Village Museum)

This program, for individuals who work or volunteer in cultural institutions, will cover the role of wet salvage of paper-based collections as part of a larger incident response. After an overview of emergency preparation and response protocols, participants will take on incident response roles and run through a mock-flood scenario. In this hands-on program, participants will work in groups to salvage and triage a variety of collection items from a pool, including papers, photographs, and bound materials. A post-scenario debrief gives participants the opportunity to review their actions with workshop instructors. Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY) Education and Outreach Specialist Liyah Desher and DHPSNY Preservation Specialist Kate Jacus will present.

Register for the May 6, 2024, Basic Salvage Techniques for Paper Collections
Register for the May 7, 2024, Basic Salvage Techniques for Paper Collections
Register for the May 30, 2024, Basic Salvage Techniques for Paper Collections
Register for the May 31, 2024, Basic Salvage Techniques for Paper Collections

A Revolution in Type: Gender and the Making of the American Yiddish Press (Webinar)

Tuesday, May 7, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Between the 1880s and 1920s, Yiddish-language newspapers rose from obscurity to become successful institutions integral to American Jewish life. During this period, Yiddish-speaking immigrants came to view newspapers as indispensable parts of their daily lives. For many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, acclimating to America became inextricably intertwined with becoming a devoted reader of the Yiddish periodical press, as the newspapers and their staffs became a fusion of friends, religious and political authorities, tour guides, matchmakers, and social welfare agencies. In A Revolution in Type, Ayelet Brinn argues that questions related to women and gender were central to the emergence of the Yiddish press as a powerful, influential force in American Jewish culture.

Ayelet Brinn is an Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies and History at the University of Hartford, where she holds the Philip D. Feltman Professorship in Modern Jewish History. After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, she held a Rabin-Shvidler Joint Postdoctoral Fellowship in Jewish Studies at Columbia University and Fordham University, the Ivan and Nina Ross Family Fellow, Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, and was a Scholar in Residence at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute.

Register for A Revolution in Type: Gender and the Making of the American Yiddish Press

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

Friday, May 10, 2024 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Friday, May 24, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

The New York State Library provides a nearly endless supply 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. Senior Librarian Jane Bentley-Turo will lead the tour.

Register for May 10,2024, Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources at the New York State Library
Register for May 24, 2024, Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources at the New York State Library

Patent Basics (Webinar)

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

This module will cover the basic facts about patents. We will explore the different types of patents, including utility, design, and plant. We will define the difference and use of both provisional patent applications and non-provisional patent applications. Further, we will discuss the process of patent prosecution, the role of the U.S. patent examiner, and what to expect when working with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Information regarding a number of patent prosecution programs and initiatives available to applicants will also be provided.

Gautam Ubale is a Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Specializing in Business Methods, he has a sharp focus on areas including Incentive Programs, Coupons, Electronic Shopping, Business Cryptography, Point of Sale, Inventory, and Accounting/Business Processing. He holds both a bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Mumbai University and Marquette University, along with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from George Mason University.

Register for Patent Basics

Discovering the Frank Brothers - Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence (Webinar)

Wednesday, May 22, 2024 |12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Shirley Green will speak about her recent book, Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence (Westholme Publishing; 2023). The narrative follows the lives of William and Benjamin Frank, two brothers who enlisted in the Second Rhode Island Regiment during the American Revolutionary War in the spring of 1777. Their military experiences quickly diverged, and Dr. Green explores their stories to provide context and substance to the Black experience during the war years, as well as underscore the significant distinction between free Blacks in military service and those who had been enslaved, and how they responded in different ways to the harsh realities of racism.

Shirley Green received her Ph.D. in history from Bowling Green State University after a twenty-six-year career in law enforcement. She is an adjunct professor of history at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. She is currently the Director of the Toledo Police Museum in Toledo, Ohio.

Register for Discovering the Frank Brothers - Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Webinar)

Thursday, May 30, 2024 |1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1867-1999, is a collection that includes maps of over twelve thousand American cities and towns. Sanborn Maps were originally created to evaluate the degree of risk associated with commercial, industrial, and residential structures. Today, Sanborn Maps are often consulted by researchers interested in the characteristics of buildings and how neighborhoods changed over time.

The New York State Library’s subscription database, Digital Sanborn Maps, includes maps specifically for New York State cities and villages for the dates 1867-1970. Stephanie Barrett and Jane Bentley Turo will demonstrate how to navigate this database, as well as share additional resources attendees can use for historical and genealogical research.

Register for Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

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 by 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.