Portal to the Past: Creating Brooklyn Historical Society's Digital Map Collection
FAIN: PW-259161-18
Brooklyn Historical Society (Brooklyn, NY 11201-2711)
Julie I. May (Project Director: July 2017 to June 2019)
Julie Golia (Project Director: June 2019 to present)
The cataloging, conservation, and digitization
of 1,600 flat and folded maps of Brooklyn, from the Revolutionary War era to
2015, concentrating on the early development of the city (and, eventually,
borough of New York City) in the 19th century.
Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) seeks funding to increase public access to the institution’s extensive collection of flat and folded maps through conservation, digitization, and the creation of a web-based portal. This initiative will extend the useful life of BHS’s maps, as they are regularly used for research and throughout BHS exhibitions, multimedia initiatives, and K-12+ education programming. What distinguishes this collection from those held by other local repositories is the sheer number and concentration of Brooklyn maps. Taken all together, the historical sweep, focus, and number of maps in this collection provide an unparalleled opportunity to see the span of Brooklyn’s development in one sitting. Online access to the collection will enable and encourage new scholarship with a nationwide scope, as internet researchers will be able to find information about the collection, view maps, and draw connections to related collections held by other repositories.