History Reaches The Future At Library

By Catherine Manzione

The Queens Library main branch in Jamaica recently made some changes for the better to the library’s collection.

What used to be known as the “Long Island Division” is now called “The Archives at Queens Library,” a name change that came about because “Long Island Division” made many people think it only held the history of Nassau and Suffolk, when it was in fact intended to represent Brooklyn, Queens, as well as Nassau, and Suffolk. Although the name was changed in late February, it did not become official until about two weeks ago.

The archives include historial documents and photos that show the history and lifestyles on Long Island.
The Archives are a great place for researchers, genealogists and historians to visit, because it is the home of some of the oldest and most important pieces in local history. It is also one of the few places that public records are available for viewing.

The Archives hold maps, photographs, original manuscripts and newspapers that represent the social, political, and economic history of all four counties. Along with the newspapers, maps, manuscripts and photos, you can also find yearbooks, phonebooks, movie posters and many limited editions books that really give you a sense of culture and lifestyle of people years ago.

With photographs from as old as 1880, and a newspaper from 1821, the Archives are the perfect place for people to truly see how much has changed. The oldest artifact in the Archives is a deed giving the Dutch land in the Gowanus area from the New Netherlands government that dates back to 1642. One of the most interesting artifacts would have to be the bound book collection that contains documents and pictures of early automobiles, music and aviation.

What makes the Queens Library’s Archives so unique is that they are digitizing everything. What this means, is that everything in the Archives will be available online for people to see without having to step foot in the library. People will be able to find the Archives’ books, maps, photographs, newspapers, and manuscripts that show the true history of all four counties, all by searching the web.

A family goes out for a drive on Jamaica Ave and Parsons Blvd in 1901.
“I am very excited because we will be giving our customers what they want – Internet access to the library’s unique and valuable documentation of Queens and Long Island history which they can see in their homes, schools, or offices,” said John Hyslop, Digital Assets Manager for the Queens Library.

Digitizing will also make it easier for people to find what they’re looking for faster. There are more resources, at once, on one computer, instead of looking through books, newspapers, and manuscripts to find what you are looking for. The Queens Library’s Digital Assets Team uses a scanner and special software to digitize all the pieces. Since the majority of photos and documents the team is working with are very fragile, they must be extremely careful with how they handle them. In fact, some documents are so fragile and old that they have to be kept in a special vault with a controlled climate to keep their preservation.

The Archives are expected to be available online sometime this year, but until then the only way to access the Archives, will be to pay an actual visit to the library, which is located at 89-11 Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica. To learn more, call (718) 990-0700 or visit the library on the web at queenslibrary.org.

Reach Intern Catherine Manzione at cmanzione@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 124 .