News | December 2, 2011

Digital Metro Grants Awarded

NEW YORK, NY--Nine institutions in New York City and Westchester have been awarded grant funding to support a range of digitization projects designed to expand access to important collections of historical and rare materials. Recipients of the 2011 Digital METRO New York (DMNY) grants, totaling over $78,000, were announced today by the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO).
 
Libraries, archives, and other research organizations selected to receive METRO digitization grants this year include the American Jewish Historical Society, the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Center for Jewish History, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Frick Art Reference Library, Brooklyn Museum, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the New York Botanical Garden. Awardees were chosen based on a rigorous application and review process designed to identify initiatives that would have the strongest impact on research and access to vital materials from important collections in the New York area.
 
“This year’s digitization grant recipients truly represent the diversity of METRO’s membership, and I am confident that their collaborative projects will enhance the growing collection of online resources in our area,” said Jason Kucsma, METRO’s Executive Director.
 
DMNY funding is available to eligible members of METRO through a competitive application and project review process. The projects selected for the 2011/2012 grant cycle reflect the breadth and depth of special collections in the metropolitan New York region. Following are the libraries and projects selected for 2011 METRO collaborative digitization grants:
 
    ??    Early New York Synagogue Archives; the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History
    ??    Art Resources from the Mid-20th Century: Digitized Highlights from the Libraries of Hilla Rebay and Juliana Force; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art
    ??    Documenting the Gilded Age: New York City Exhibitions at the Turn of the 20th Century (Phase 2); Frick Art Reference Library, Brooklyn Museum
    ??    Views of Bronx Park: Collaborative Project to Digitize the Postcards of the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden; Wildlife Conservation Society, New York Botanical Garden
 
“With METRO’s support, the Guggenheim and Whitney Museums will be able to make unique historical resources held by both of our institutions widely available for the first time,” said Francine Snyder, Project Manager for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art.
 
“Providing online access to these historically significant materials will allow scholars, theologians, sociologists, urban demographers, genealogists and historians to study synagogue life and the life of the Jewish community in New York City before and during a key time period of great Jewish immigration to the United States and in modern American history,” said Naomi Steinberger, Project Manager for the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary’s collaboration with the American Jewish Historical Society and the Center for Jewish History.
 
Since 2005, METRO’s DMNY program has distributed over $530,000 to help fund 37 projects at more than 49 METRO member institutions. Managed by METRO, Digital Metro New York supports the implementation of digitization projects among METRO member libraries and archives. METRO lends vital additional support for digitization projects through specialized education and training programs and opportunities for “digitally ready” libraries to share expertise and best-practice digitization strategies.
 
METRO’s digitization program is supported by funds from the New York State Regional Bibliographic Database Program. For more information about METRO’s involvement in digitization projects, visit http://bit.ly/dkbS1k.
 
About METRO
 
The Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) is a non-profit organization working to develop and maintain essential library services throughout New York City and Westchester County. METRO's service is developed and delivered with broad input and support from an experienced staff of library professionals, the organization's member libraries, an active board of trustees, government representatives and other experts in research and library operations.
 
As the largest reference and research resources (3Rs) library council in New York State, METRO members reflect a wide range of special, academic, archival and public library organizations. In addition to training programs and support services, METRO also works to bring members of the New York City and Westchester County library communities together to promote ongoing exchanges of information and ideas.