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Documentary Heritage Program Related Links

General Information

  • A Manual for Small Archives
    This manual, published by the Archives Association of British Columbia, is designed to help people working in small archives with limited access to training, few employees, and restricted finances and time.  The manual provides and excellent, basic overview of archival principles and practices, offers guidelines and suggestions for various archival activities, and includes sample forms and policies.  Please note that this is a Canadian publication, so any information related to legal issues may not be applicable to the United States.

  • The AABC Archivist's Toolkit
    The AABC Archivist's Toolkit is an extensive bibliography of online and print resources related to archives.  It is arranged by topic, which range from establishing an archives to emergency preparedness to electronic records to funding.  It is aimed especially at small and medium-sized archives.  Although it was created for archivists in British Columbia, most of the information is useful for all responsible for archival records.
    Please note:  this site is not associated with the Archivists' Toolkit data management software.

Acquisitions

  • Acquisitions Brochures from the Society of American Archivists
    Includes a Guide to Deeds of Gift and brochures on donating historical records to an archives in both English and Spanish.  The brochures discuss the benefits of donating historical records, the kinds of materials archives might be interested in, and issues donors should consider.
  • Donor Guidelines from Wisconsin Historical Society
    Guidelines for both archivists and potential donors to archives.  The guidelines outline what a donor can expect when donating to an archives, including deeds of gift, copyright concerns, and tax information.

Conservation and Preservation

  • American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
  • The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
  • Conservation OnLine
  • Heritage Emergency National Task Force
    One-stop shopping for information on dealing with disasters in cultural institutions.  The site includes lots of information and links on dealing with disasters from cockling of your favorite family photograph to responding to huge region-wide events like Hurricane Katrina.  There is also up-to-date information on any major disaster that is occurring in the United States, including links for requesting immediate assistance or financial help.
  • Heritage Health Index
    This page provides the results of a 2005 comprehensive survey of the condition and preservation needs of collections in U.S. institutions. The survey was done by Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Of special interest is the "Resources" section of the site. It provides links to reputable organizations in the areas of disaster planning, finding a conservator, locating training opportunities in preservation and conservation, funding sources for collections care, and other organizations that provide guidance in preservation-related issues.
  • Image Permanence Institute of the Rochester Institute of Technology
    Includes several wonderful publications related to storage environments as well as an interactive site, "Stored Alive," which demonstrates the deterioration of various types of material stored under different conditions. These are located under the Downloads link on the homepage. The homepage also includes a link to The Archival Advisor, IPI's preservation guide for family photograph collectors, genealogists, and scrapbook makers.
  • Library of Congress Family Treasures
    This is a well-organized and straightforward web site dedicated to "Preparing, Protecting, Preserving Family Treasures." The site has sections on Preparing Your Family Treasures, Protecting Your Family Treasures Every Day, and Preserving Treasures After the Disaster. Much of the advice can be applied to small archives as well.
  • National Film Preservation Foundation
    The site includes a pdf version of their Film Preservation Guide. The Guide is a full-length publication written for people without prior film preservation experience. To find the Guide on the site, click on "preservation basics" on the main page.
  • Northeast Document Conservation Center
  • Regional Alliance for Preservation

New York State Resources

  • New York History Net
    A wide-ranging site hosted by the Institute of New York State Studies. It includes information on conferences, museums, archives, libraries, historical tours, publications on New York history, and more.
  • New York State Archives
    Excelsior, the New York State Archives online catalog, includes information on the holdings of many local historical records repositories. From the New York State Archives link, click on "Online Catalog" below the picture on the right.
  • New York State Library
  • New York State Newspaper Project
    Although the New York State Newspaper Project is now closed, this site will help you locate over 22,000 distinct newspaper titles in New York State. These titles were identified and cataloged by the Newspaper Project. The newspapers may be in original or microfilm format.
  • Research Library of the New York State Historical Association
    Pathfinder, the online catalog of the Research Library of the New York State Historical Association and The Farmers' Museum's collections of primary and secondary source materials in agricultural history, American art and architectural history, genealogy, museum studies, Native American art and culture, and New York State history.

Professional Organizations