Photo Archive Preservation Project

FAIN: PG-50885-10

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (New York, NY 10001-5004)
Roberta Elliott (Project Director: May 2009 to September 2010)

Hiring a consultant to assess the society's historic collection comprising 54 cubic feet of photographs and negatives dating from the 1920s to 2000 and to recommend steps for preservation, especially arrangement and storage requirements, and the creation of finding aids. The collection documents immigration (primarily Jewish but also Vietnamese and Afghan) and Holocaust history and contains images of important world figures.

HIAS, founded in 1881, is the oldest non-governmental organization in the U.S. devoted to the migration needs of refugees and immigrants. Housed within our New York Headquarters are approximately 54 cubic feet of photographs and negatives of HIAS's work depicting services to migrants beginning in the 1920s, which we estimate to be 5,000-10,000 unique images. We believe this collection comprises the most comprehensive and important photographic archive in the United States of Jewish refugee assistance and work. We are seeking funds to hire a consultant to assess HIAS's photographic archive and make recommendations for the collection's continued preservation and enhanced utilization. The preservation and conservation of this archive is critically important as it is an invaluable resource for scholars, genealogists, and the general public. It is a legacy that must be preserved now and for future generations.