Paul Grondahl

NYS Writers Institute director and former Times Union reporter Paul Grondahl will speak about how his research at the State Library helped him write his prize-winning books including Mayor Corning, Albany Icon, Albany Enigma and I Rose Like a Rocket, the Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt.

Sponsored by the Friends of the NYS Library. The program is free and open to all, but registration is recommended.

Location: Cultural Education Center, Librarians Room (7th Floor)

Conversation/Q&A with Sujatha Gidla

Sujatha Gidla is the author of Ants Among Elephants:  An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India, the story of a family's attempts to achieve a better life against all odds, and one of Publishers Weekly top books of 2017. 

Cosponsored by the State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education, the New York State Writers Institute, and the Friends of the New York State Library.

Location:  Cultural Education Center, Huxley Theater (1st floor)

Putting History to Work in a Time of Crisis

Historian and Information Studies Professor (and former New York State Archives staff member) Bruce Dearstyne discusses "Putting History to Work in a Time of Crisis". Dr. Dearstyne will begin with a short overview of why historical perspectives are important, why there seem to be so few historians in debates over public issues these days, and then provide about a half dozen or so examples from current public issues where knowing more about origins, precedents, and parallels would aid public understanding.

Sponsored by the Friends of the NYS Library. The program is free and open to all, but registration is recommended.

Location: Cultural Education Center, Librarians Room (7th Floor)

Community Readings of America's Founding Documents — Alexander Heffner

Alexander Heffner is the co-author with his late grandfather, the historian Richard D. Heffner, of a revised and expanded 2018 edition of the million-selling book, A Documentary History of the United States, first published in 1952. Alexander is also the host of the PBS talk show, The Open Mind, "a thoughtful excursion into the world of ideas across politics, media, technology, the arts, and all realms of civic life." Prior to the evening conversation, a diverse range of community members, from political leaders to elementary school children, will take the stage to read memorable lines from America’s founding documents.

Cosponsored by the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education, the New York State Writers Institute and Friends of the New York State Library.

Location: Cultural Education Center, Huxley Theater (1st floor)

George Barnum, U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO)

The New York State Library will mark the conclusion of its bicentennial celebrations with a talk from George Barnum, Senior Program Specialist and Agency Historian at the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO). Barnum will discuss the history of the printing and distribution of government documents to citizens across the country. Learn how public access to government’s activities shaped American government over the course of two centuries.

The NYS Library has been collecting and providing public access to U.S. legislative documents since its inception in 1818. As the New York State regional depository for U.S. Government publications, the State Library receives and permanently keeps a copy of every document distributed under the GPO's Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).

Location: Cultural Education Center, Huxley Theater (1st floor)