Project Update

On December 4, Laura Zelasnic gave a presentation titled "Raw Intelligences, or Dispatches from the Metro New York Region of The New York State Newspaper Project" to the Suffolk County Library Association, Division of Academic and Special Libraries. The Project was invited to participate in the program by Kevin McCoy, a former NYSNP Project Cataloger from the Long Island Region.

Merilee Jennings was hired as a Project Cataloger in October. Ms. Jennings had worked at Seton Hall Law School Library where she served as the archivist for the Peter W. Rodino, Jr. Manuscript and Congressional Collections, a reference librarian, and as the acting director of the government documents department.

Field Work

The surveying and cataloging of newspaper collections was completed or continued at the following institutions during the months of October, November and December:

Queensborough Community College (Bayside, Queens); Immaculate Conception Center Library, Dioceses of Brooklyn and Queens (Douglaston, Queens); Mt. Pleasant Public Library (Pleasantville, Westchester); Town Clerk's Office (Pleasantville, Westchester); Town Records Center (Yorktown Heights, Westchester); Catholic Medical Center (Jamaica, Queens); Queens College (Flushing, Queens); New York University, Fales Library (New York, New York); Wagner College (Staten Island, Richmond); and the newspaper offices of the Staten Island Register (Staten Island, Richmond; the Staten Island Advance (Staten Island, Richmond); and the Queens Tribune (Fresh Meadows, Queens).

Friends Group

Meetings of the Friends of the NYSNP were held on October 8 (annual meeting) and November 12. The December 10 meeting was cancelled.

Three Millionth Microfilmed Page Celebration

A celebration marking the microfilming of the three millionth page of New York State history contained in newspapers was held on October 8 at the State Library. As part of that event, the Friends of the NYSNP honored former New York State Library Director Peter Paulson for his vision and leadership in the preservation of newspapers. Mr. Paulson set the foundations for creation of the New York State Newspaper Project in 1987. Guest speaker Glen Liebman spoke on his use of newspapers to gather material for his books on sports and political humor including "Grand Slams! The Ultimate Collection of Baseball's Best Quips, Quotes and Cutting Remarks" published in 2001.

Current Statistics through 12/31/02

News from the Past

FIRST GRIP VICTIM IS SICK. Man Who First Has Disease Suffers from Another Attack.

New York, March 6. Henry Kip Woodruff, of Rahway, who is said to have been the first grip victim in the United States, so far as the diagnosis is concerned, is dangerously ill in that city from a return of the disorder.

When he was first stricken, in 1882, the grip was ravaging Russia. The physician called to attend him could not determine the nature of his malady, and six others were called. They finally decided he had the then new disease, the grip. The doctors predicted that Woodruff would not live a week, and that if he did he would be a raving maniac.

Taken from the New York and Brooklyn Daily (Brooklyn, NY) March 20, 1963