Right now Mayor de Blasio is putting together his preliminary budget. This is our moment to make sure he remembers how important libraries are. 

Last year, thanks in part to people like you speaking out, City leaders invested in New Yorkers by investing in libraries, which means NYC’s 217 libraries now offer 6-day service, have hired over 100 new librarians, and are able to provide new programs and books. Here at NYPL, we now have 7 branches that stay open 7 days a week, and our librarians have added story time for our earliest learners, after-school programs, and English language and digital classes for adults.

We're so grateful that City leaders were there for us, and now we must make sure they build on that success.

Click here to tell Mayor de Blasio that our city mustkeep investing in libraries next year.

After years of budget cuts, Mayor de Blasio and the New York City Council made a historic investment in libraries last summer. They allocated an additional $43 million in City operating funding for New York City’s libraries–restoring two-thirds of what had been cut from the City’s three library systems since 2008.

This was in large part because of the power of your vocal support of libraries. You told our leaders how important libraries were to you, and City leaders listened.

Now, as the budget process starts anew, speaking out again can make sure our City leaders continue to invest in our libraries. As crucial as this funding has been, we still have more demand for our services than we can meet.

Make sure Mayor de Blasio remembers how much New York City loves its libraries. Send him a letter right now.

Documentary Heritage Program Grants

The Documentary Heritage Program (DHP) is a statewide program established by law to provide financial support and guidance to not-for-profit organizations that hold, collect and make available New York's historical records. Funding is available to support projects that relate to groups and topics traditionally under-represented in New York’s historical record. The New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) 2016-2017 appropriation for DHP includes $92,000 for DHP Grants. DHP Grant Project Types are Documentation and Arrangement & Description. DHP is administered by the New York State Archives, a unit of the New York State Education Department.

For further information about the DHP program, including an explanation of DHP’s Priorities, visit the Documentary Heritage Program (DHP) information page.

2016-2017 DHP Grant Application Guidelines and Forms

Prequalification requirement for all grant applicants

New York State has implemented a new statewide prequalification requirement for not-for-profits applying for grants. In order to be eligible to apply, all grant applicants (including DHP grant applicants) are required to prequalify using the New York State Grants Gateway (link is external). The prequalification registration process requests information about an organization’s capacity, legal compliance, and integrity. This process may take up to a few weeks to complete. Begin the prequalification registration process immediately if you are considering applying for a 2016-2017 DHP Grant.

2016-2017 DHP Grant Application deadline is Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

For full information, see: http://www.archives.nysed.gov/grants/grants_dhp.shtml

Join the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in protest against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA). 

The week of events is jointly organized by a huge coalition of diverse organizations and individuals concerned about how these undemocratic, corporate-captured trade deals lead to terrible policies for the public interest. 

For more on how to participate see: https://www.eff.org/event/global-week-actions-against-tpp-ttip-tisa

Also check out the full schedule of events.

SAA Opposes Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Provisions

Issue Brief: Archivists and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement

This issue brief was drafted by the Society of American Archivists’ Intellectual Property Working Group, was reviewed by the SAA Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy, and was approved by the SAA Council on September 28, 2015.

SAA POSITION

The Society of American Archivists (SAA) opposes secret negotiations conducted without public consultation or debate that affect access to information. SAA opposes the following provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement:

• Any further extension of copyright terms.
• Lack of recognition of the importance of the public domain.
• Imposition of statutory damages.
• Extension of anti-circumvention rules without exceptions for fair use and non-infringing uses.
• Lack of penalty for the misuse of copyright enforcement powers.

SAA Will:

• To the extent possible, monitor the progress of TPP negotiations;
• Work with other organizations concerned about the negative impact of the TPP; and
• Advocate against TPP provisions that impede or undermine the archival mission.

For the full brief, including background on the issues, see:

http://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-opposes-trans-pacific-partnership-agreement-provisions

Join us at this year's Archives Education Institute!

Application forms may be found HERE-- application deadline has been extended to Thursday, October 8, 2015.

SAA Comments on Copyright Office’s Mass Digitization Pilot Program

In a September 23 letter to the Register of Copyrights (drafted by the Intellectual Property Working Group), SAA President Dennis Meissner notes that, “For the vast bulk of what is in archives, mostly unpublished or rare materials where copyright claimants do not exist, ECL [extended collective licensing] would be unhelpful, irrelevant, unduly burdensome, and a disservice to the communities that archives serve.” 

For the full letter, see: http://www2.archivists.org/news/2015/saa-comments-on-copyright-office’s-mass-digitization-pilot-program? 

Stop the TPP's Copyright Trap

Stop the TPP's Copyright Trap

Officials are now working overtime to finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a secret controversial trade agreement that would trap the U.S. and its partners into excessive copyright term lengths. Speak out now and help us fight back against backroom deals that keep culture and knowledge locked up for decades.

For an update on the closed-door negotiations, see the Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/09/whats-going-tpp-more-closed-door-meetings-new-chief-transparency-officer

To sign a an EFF petition, see: https://act.eff.org/action/stop-the-tpp-s-copyright-trap

The Council on State Archivists is promoting the 3rd annual Electronic Records Day on October 10th as an opportunity to share information about what you are doing to manage your digital resources and to enlist help in preserving electronic records. This day is designed to raise awareness among state government agencies, the general public, related professional organizations, and other stakeholders about the crucial role electronic records play in their world.

For more check out the CoSA website: http://www.statearchivists.org/seri/ElectronicRecordsDay.htm

What Is #AskAnArchivist Day?

It’s an opportunity to:

• Break down the barriers that make archivists seem inaccessible.
• Talk directly to the public—via Twitter—about what you do, why it’s important and, of course, the interesting records with which you work.
• Join with archivists around the country and the world to make an impact on the public’s understanding of archives while celebrating American Archives Month!
• Interact with users, supporters, and prospective supporters about the value of archives.
• Hear directly from the public about what they’re most interested in learning about from archives and archivists. 

For more on participating in this event see: http://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/askanarchivist-day-october-1

Archives Change Lives!

Watch SAA’s new video, which debuted during Plenary 1 of ARCHIVES 2015.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXI5G9ptXxo