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)

CANCELED

*THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16. THE PROGRAM WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER DATE*

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).

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

The New York State Library is a treasure chest of resources for those tracing their family histories. Join us for a 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. The subject specialist for genealogy and local history at the New York State Library will lead the tour. The tour is limited to 15 individuals and registration is required.

Location: New York State Library 7th floor – meet in front of Genealogy/Local History/Equipment desk.

The Secret Life of Pets Film Screening

The New York State Museum in association with the New York State Library is showing the film, The Secret Life of Pets.

Location: New York State Museum, Huxley Theater.

Historical Newspapers Online at the New York State Library

Newspapers can serve as useful primary sources for historical research. They reflect the time period in which they were created, and provide a glimpse into society at the time. Senior Librarian Stephanie Barrett will discuss online databases available at the New York State Library that contain full-text historical newspapers. She will demonstrate the effective use of America's Historical Newspapers and the Historical Newspapers (New York Times) with an emphasis on newspapers published in New York State. She will also demonstrate how to find and access New York State digital newspapers freely available on the Internet. Space is limited and registration is required.

Location: New York State Library, 7th floor Computer Classroom

Senior Librarian Michael Meyer will demonstrate two online products from the Foundation Center that are available at the New York State Library. The Foundation Directory Online provides accurate details on over 100,000 US foundations and corporate donors and over 2.2 million recent grants. Foundation Grants to Individuals Online is an online database of over 8,500 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers, and other individual grant seekers. Space is limited and registration is required.

Location: New York State Library, 7th floor Computer Classroom

Vincent Commisso, Albany County Hall of Records

Vincent Commisso, Deputy Director of the Albany County Hall of Records (ACHOR), will discuss the services that ACHOR provides and the records that it holds. His talk will focus on archival records generally and genealogical records in particular. ACHOR is unique among county agencies in that it is a joint city and county collection. The Albany County Hall of Records is a joint program of the County of Albany and the City of Albany that began operations in 1982. Because the archival records of both Albany County and the City of Albany are housed in one location, the public is better able to research local history.

Vincent Commisso has worked at ACHOR since 2015 and is also an adjunct professor of Political Science at the University at Albany, SUNY. The program is free and open to all, but registration is recommended.

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