Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York

09/28/2026

Emergency planning can feel like a big project, but you don’t have to tackle everything at once.

September is National Preparedness Month, making it a great time to do one thing to improve your organization’s emergency preparedness. That might mean updating your emergency contacts, checking your disaster supply cache, making sure important collections records are backed up, reviewing your salvage priorities, or scheduling a walkthrough with your local fire department.

Our newest DHPS Tips blog shares five practical steps you can take now to make your organization and collections better prepared for an emergency.

Read the full post on the DHPSNY blog: https://bit.ly/4z1lLmU

09/25/2026

DHPSNY is a longtime fan of Connecting to Collections Care (C2C Care), a program of American Institute for Conservation's Foundation for Advancement in Conservation. It provides collections care resources, webinars, and a discussion forum for cultural heritage organizations.

C2C Care is currently looking for volunteer Community Monitors to help support its online forum. If you have collections care or preservation experience and would like to share your knowledge with colleagues around the country, consider volunteering!

Seeking C2C Care Forum Monitors--Support our Community!

C2C Care serves small and mid-sized cultural institutions across the country, many of which have limited access to dedicated conservation expertise. Community Monitors help by responding to practical questions about collections care and preservation and pointing users toward useful resources and next steps.
The commitment is manageable: monitors serve in two-week shifts and typically spend just 1–4 hours total per shift. And you won’t be on your own—C2C Care volunteer content experts are available for consultation when a question requires additional expertise.

Interested? Complete the volunteer form: https://forms.gle/kjWLUrhrzoLQHbv8A

Questions? Contact C2C Care Program Coordinator Samantha Hunt-Durán at [email protected].

https://www.https://connectingtocollections.org/

Interested in serving as a Monitor for the Connecting to Collections Care Online Community? Or are you interested in learning more about what it's all about? If so, please fill out this form! During the forum monitoring shifts, your job would be to offer practical guidance on collections care and ge...

09/23/2026

Join us in welcoming our newest team member!

Meet Adelaide Hurwitz, our new Preservation Services Coordinator!

Adelaide provides administrative and project management support for CCAHA’s Preservation Services and Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York teams, including coordinating workshops and education programs, supporting communications, and assisting with preservation assessments. Before joining CCAHA, Adelaide worked in Collections, Education, and Visitor Services roles at museums and galleries, including the Museum of the American Revolution and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Welcome, Adelaide — we’re so happy to have you!

09/11/2026

Last month, DHPSNY Archives Specialist Kate Philipson and DHPSNY Program Manager Amanda Murray visited the First Unitarian Church of Rochester First Unitarian Church of Rochester for a site visit as part of an Archival Needs Assessment. Located in a unique building designed by famed architect Louis Kahn since 1962, the congregation has a long history dating back to 1829. Rotating exhibitions of church history are on display in the Susan B. Anthony Lounge, with the current one highlighting the evolution of the building through archival materials. During the site visit, Kate and Amanda met with Lynn Kinsman, History Team Chair, Jenny Cos, History Team Volunteer, and Bill Fugate, Church Historian. The Archival Needs Assessment process will provide First Unitarian and its History Team with priorities for the continued preservation, management, and access of its archival collections, which will be particularly helpful when planning for the church’s bicentennial celebration in 2029.

📸 Images:
1) First Unitarian Church of Rochester NY, Archival Needs Assessment site visit August 20, 2026. Shown L to R: Lynn Kinsman, Kate Philipson (DHPSNY), Jenny Cos, Bill Fugate (missing from photo: Amanda Murray, DHPSNY)

2) First Unitarian's History display case in the Susan B. Anthony Lounge, showing current exhibit highlighting the evolution of the Louis Kahn-designed building.

3) Aerial view of First Unitarian Church of Rochester NY circa 1970s, after building addition opened in 1969.

09/09/2026

✍️ Take our annual survey!

DHPSNY is continually evaluating our services to ensure we are meeting the needs of collecting institutions across New York State.

We have developed a short survey for you to share your thoughts, concerns, and emerging needs with us directly. We estimate it will take about 5–10 minutes to complete. Your responses will help inform the delivery and development of our programs and services moving forward.

Access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M23B8DN

09/08/2026

In preservation, the term delamination refers to the complete or partial separation of layers in an object. This often happens when cardboard or other layered materials come in contact with moisture or water.

Mounted photographs, composite bookboards, and laminated historical documents can be especially vulnerable. Moisture can weaken the adhesives or other bonds holding their layers together, causing them to lift, peel, or separate.

🔗 EExplore this term and more in our Preservation Glossary: ccaha.org/PreservationGlossary

08/14/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Summer Practical Digitization: Planning, Handling, Imaging workshops!

Looking to attend another workshop series? Join us this fall for Red Flag! Identifying Preservation Needs While Working with Collections. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to recognize common preservation issues or “red flags,” in paper, book, and photographic materials. Participants will learn how to identify signs of physical damage, environmental concerns, and handling risks, and how to determine when action is needed.

📍All workshops take place from 10AM to 4PM:

🗓️ September 17 - Northern New York Library Network (Potsdam)
🗓️ September 29 - FDR Presidential Library & Museum (Hyde Park)
🗓️ October 20 - Lucy Desi Museum at the National Comedy Center (Jamestown)
🗓️ October 28 - Old Westbury Gardens (Old Westbury)

Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/uanfxpj

Photos: Attendees at the Practical Digitization: Planning, Handling, Imaging workshop at the Greece Historical Society.

07/30/2026

Congratulations to DHPSNY's latest round of collecting organizations awarded Planning & Assessment Services! These services are designed to support organizations in improving and advancing collections-related program efforts and are offered comprehensively to eligible cultural collecting institutions throughout New York State. The 11 institutions selected are taking a big step to strengthen preservation efforts and achieve both short and long-term goals.

Read the full announcement and list of recipients here: https://bit.ly/4w9LQP6

Photo: The Carriage House Theater at the Cayuga Museum of History and Art in Auburn, NY.

Buffalo Naval & Military Park
First Unitarian Church of Rochester
Front Runners New York🗽
Millbrook Historical Society
UNWLA
Cayuga Museum of History & Art
SUNY Geneseo
Chautauqua County Historical Society
Mechanicville Library
Whaling Museum & Educ Center
Glo Lib