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New York State Library News & Events

August 2025

The New York State Library’s services, programs, and collections are made possible by federal Library Service and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Connect with Knowledge You Trust!

Expand your library offerings and expertise with Continuing Education for Library Workers!
DHPSNY provides Preservation Practices for Every Library, a service available to cultural institutions around the state to support the preservation of community collections and history.

Currently on Display in the Cultural Education Center

Part of the George Washington Relics Collection in the NYS Library’s Manuscripts and Special Collections unit, and currently on display in the NYS Museum, the bronze bust of George Washington is a copy of the 1785 life-cast made of Washington by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, Houdon spent two weeks at Mount Vernon to observe and sketch Washington and create the life-cast.

The NYS Library acquired the bust in 1873 as part of a larger collection of artifacts from George Washington’s life. While most of the items were rescued from the 1911 Capitol Fire, the bust, as well as Washington’s dress sword, endured the disaster and survived. However, that’s hardly the end of the story for these items.

The bust is currently on display in the NYS Museum as part of the exhibit George Washington: An American Paradox.

Illustration of men in women in 19th century apparel playing a tabletop game. Text reads - Changing the Game - Board Games - Card Games and TTRPGs

Embark on an adventure into the realm of board games, card games, and tabletop roleplaying games! In celebration of the history of games and the universality of play, we have dug deep within the New York State Library’s vast collection to feature hidden gems relating to games and gaming.

Explore the classics like card games, chess, and backgammon, modern day favorites like Dungeons and Dragons, and games that capture historical moments in-between.

This exhibit will be on view on the 7th Floor of the Cultural Education Center from August to September 2025.

Continuing Education for Library Workers

The Handbook of Black Librarianship – Library Technology

Date: Friday, August 15, 2025

Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Please join us for another session in our series celebrating the Handbook of Black Librarianship. For our August webinar we will be discussing Library Technology, highlighting ways Black librarians have pivoted through innovation to serve their communities.

Beyond Access: Inclusive Programming in Libraries

Date: Friday, September 19, 2025

Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm

This presentation will highlight key considerations when developing, marketing and presenting library programming, so that all members of a community can engage, learn, connect and thrive at the library.

Meaghan E. Doyle, J.D., M.S.I.S., has served as the Community and Digital Equity Consultant at the Ramapo Catskill Library System since 2023. Building on her background in public librarianship, she has spent the past two years collaborating with community partners to advance education around inclusivity and accessibility across the system’s member libraries.

Preservation Practices for Every Library

DHPSNY Workshops and Webinars

Date: August 14, 16, & September 4, 2025

Time: Varies

DHPSNY offers a variety of educational programs and services to qualifying New York institutions. Presented free of charge throughout the state, DHPSNY’s programs address the needs of professionals and volunteers responsible for the care and handling of historical records. DHPSNY’s workshops and webinars discuss emerging issues and best practices, with content scaled to apply to small- and medium-sized organizations with limited resources.

The following program(s) will be offered this month:

From Paper to Pixels: Planning a Successful Digitization Project
Collective Wisdom: Community Archiving Projects
Stewardship & Transparency: Repatriation in NY

DHPSNY is a service provided by the NYS Library and NYS Archives to support preservation practices at New York's cultural institutions.

View All Upcoming DHPSNY Programs

View a complete list of upcoming programs

NYS Library Website Update

The NYS Library is pleased to announce that our website is now hosted in a Drupal environment. While there are minimal navigational changes for end users on the Research Library and Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) portions of the site, the Division of Library Development (DLD) section includes several updates to align with accessibility best practices and improved website management workflows. The DLD updates include:

Revised pages for Public Library Systems, the DLD homepage, and DLD roster and contact information.
New sorting and filtering capabilities for large datasets such as Find Your Public Library and Charter Actions.

The entire website is responsive for folks to use it on any number of devices with varying screen sizes and input options. Additionally, language options are now available at the top of the website to comply with NYS Language Access Law.

We hope you can take some time to explore the revised website! If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Digital Services Unit.

Cover of The Prison Observer printed in black and red inks on off-white paper

NYS Library Partners with JSTOR on American Prison Newspapers

The NYS Library has provided JSTOR with access to rare prison newspapers from our holdings. JSTOR has digitized those newspapers and made them freely available to the public as part of their collection, American Prison Newspapers, 1800s-present: Voices from the Inside.

Room for Everyone panelists and interpreters in the NYS Museum's Huxley Theater

Library Accessibility: Reflections on Room For Everyone

Thanks to everyone who joined us during Disability Pride Month to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We were delighted to welcome library staff from across the state and learn from 15 presenters and seven interpreters during our in-person Room for Everyone event.

Read more about this exciting Library Accessibility Day of Learning, and find information about upcoming accessibility webinars to keep the celebration going.

﻿New York State Library News & Events