| New York State Library | Suggest a Site! | Previously Featured |
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that "all persons held as slaves...shall be free." The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation is an earlier version which Lincoln read to his Cabinet on September 22, 1862. Handwritten by President Lincoln, it also contains annotations by Secretary of State (and former Governor of New York) William Seward.
The unassuming appearance of this four page declaration in Lincoln's hand tends to mask the significance of what one source declared to be the "most important and far-reaching document ever issued since the formulation of this government".
One of the nation's greatest documentary treasures, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation has been part of the New York State Library's collection since 1865.
For more information and to see to see a scanned version of the document, visit the Library's Virtual Exhibit: The Emancipation Proclamation. The online exhibit also includes a transcript, preservation history and related facts.
Many other scanned historical documents are available online from the New York State Library.
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| January 2007: Final Report on the Battlefield of Gettysburg - This three-volume set contains New York at Gettysburg by William F. Fox and includes regimental histories of the numerous New York State regiments that fought at Gettysburg. The report also includes information about the monuments erected in honor of the New York regiments at Gettysburg. (The scanned document opens in a new window.) | |
| (Note: Beginning in January 2007, the Library's Web Team will feature a NYSL resource or service of interest to New Yorkers.) | |
| December 2006: How does the traffic look for for your drive along the roads in New York State? Are there any winter travel advisories or lane closures? Check your route at the the New York State Transportation Federation's TravelInfoNY.com Web site. | |
| November 2006: The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) is a popular Federal education Web site offering access to many learning resources. Learn about chemicals around your house, try a jigsaw puzzle from the Library of Congress's photo collection, report an earthquake, or design a virtual mobile, or explore one of the many other resources at FREE. | |
| October 2006: New York State Historical Maps from SUNY Stony Brook - View an online collection of scanned maps of parts of New York State dating from the 16th through the 19th century. | |
| September 2006: WorldCat.org uses the Open WorldCat program to allow users to search for books, music, and videos among 1.3 billion items in 18,000 library catalogs worldwide, find articles and digital items (like audiobooks) that can be directly viewed or downloaded, and see "Ask a Librarian" and other information about a library. | |
| August 2006: FDA Consumer, the official magazine of the Food and Drug Administration, is searchable from 1989 through the current issue. "FDA Consumer offers you a wealth of new and in-depth information on how to get healthy and stay healthy. It also reports on current FDA activities to ensure that the products the agency regulates--food, human and animal drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, radiation-emitting products, biologics--are fit to use." | |
| June 2006: Biomed Central publishes over 150 open access journals covering all areas of biology and medicine. "BioMed Central is an independent publishing house committed to providing immediate open access to peer-reviewed biomedical research. | |
| May 2006: American Memory Timeline, from the Library of Congress, is a teacher and student resource. Part of The Learning Page, it provides primary sources for nine time periods of United States history, covering 1783-1968. | |
| April 2006: HomeworkNYC.org is a homework help resource produced by the New York Public Library with the assistance of the Brooklyn Public and Queens Public Libraries. Find online articles, browse study guides, use calculators and math textbooks. | |
| March 2006: March is Women's History Month. The year 1998 marked the 150th anniversary of the first Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York. To commemorate the anniversary, the National Park Service developed the National Register of Historic Places travel itinerary, Places Where Women Made History. | |
| February 2006: How can you find information on the thousands of pages that comprise New York State Web sites? The best place to start is on the New York State home page at www.ny.gov (or www.state.ny.us). | |
| January 2006: How can you find out how many federal government dollars went to your county, or your state? The Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS) can show you reports, by quarter, since 1996, on government grants and assistance programs for individuals, organizations, and state and local governments. |
Archives of Previously Featured Sites
2005 Features | 2004 Features | 2003 Features
2002 Features: Web Sites | Documents