Access to the Rare Book Collection at the New-York Historical Society: Phase One

FAIN: PW-253774-17

New York Historical Society (New York, NY 10024-5152)
Henry F. Raine (Project Director: July 2016 to April 2017)
Matthew J. Murphy (Project Director: April 2017 to March 2021)

The New-York Historical Society requests a grant of $350,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to catalog approximately 6,750 items in its Rare Book Collection dating from 1601 to 1800. This two-year project constitutes Phase One of a four-year effort to address the cataloging of items in the Rare Book Collection that are uncataloged, minimally cataloged, or in need of verification. Through precise and enhanced cataloging of the Rare Book Collection, researchers around the world will discover previously uncataloged rare books, be able to identify which editions, issues, and states the Library holds, access important copy-specific information, and connect from the Library's holdings of rare books to related collections of manuscripts, almanacs, newspapers, broadsides, and maps at the N-YHS and other libraries around the world. This substantial increase in intellectual access will inform ongoing research and inspire new research projects.