Preservation Assessment of Map Collection

FAIN: PA-51124-05

Queens Library (Jamaica, NY 11432-5242)
John A. Hyslop (Project Director: May 2004 to September 2005)

A preservation survey of a map collection that documents the Long Island area of New York from 1634 to the present.

The Map Collection of the Long Island Division, Queens Borough Public Library, New York, consists of approximately 3,500 maps, documenting the geography of Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties from 1637-2004. The maps detail the island’s vast physical and social changes over the past two centuries. Their current condition and storage arrangement make them difficult for researchers to access. The division is seeking a Preservation Assistance Grant to hire a consultant to perform a survey of the Map Collection. The consultant will produce a report addressing the Collection’s preservation and conservation needs, including its storage, handling, treatment, reformatting, future exhibition and more.