Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York

Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York
Name	Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York
Formation	1975
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	New York metropolitan area
Membership	Archivists, conservators, librarians, records managers

Contents

Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York is a professional association serving archival practitioners, conservators, librarians, curators, and records managers in the New York metropolitan area. The organization connects professionals working at institutions such as the New York Public Library, Columbia University, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Historical Society, and New-York Historical Society through programs, publications, and advocacy. It engages with municipal entities including the New York City Department of Records and Information Services and cultural partners like the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History.

History

Founded in 1975 amid archival growth in institutions such as The New School, Barnard College, and New York University, the organization formed to address professional needs highlighted by practitioners from Pratt Institute, Cooper Hewitt, and the Biblioteca Nacional de España visiting delegations. Early leadership included professionals affiliated with Columbia University Libraries, Barnard College Archives, and the New York Public Library who responded to training gaps identified alongside initiatives at the Society of American Archivists, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the New York State Archives. The group organized conferences that paralleled developments at the Society of American Archivists annual meetings and engaged with policy debates involving the Freedom of Information Act, the Local Law 11 (New York City), and municipal records programs. Over decades, the organization expanded programming to include digital preservation topics raised by projects at Google Books, Internet Archive, and university digitization efforts at Columbia University and Yale University.

The association’s mission emphasizes professional development for archivists working in settings ranging from the New-York Historical Society and Queens College to corporate archives at AT&T and cultural repositories such as the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. It promotes standards compatible with guidelines from the Society of American Archivists, the International Council on Archives, and the National Information Standards Organization, and supports practices informed by projects at the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, and research centers like the Newberry Library. The organization provides certification support, ethical guidance reflective of debates involving the American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries, and resources aligned with professional development offered by institutions including Columbia University's information schools and CUNY Graduate Center programs.

Membership comprises professionals and students affiliated with institutions such as Staten Island Museum, Fordham University, Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, SUNY Stony Brook, and corporate repositories like Macy's archives. Governance follows bylaws modeled after nonprofit standards observed by organizations like the American Alliance of Museums and features an elected board with officers drawn from archives at New York University, Brooklyn Public Library, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Empire State Building archive initiatives. Committees liaise with labor and professional groups including the United Federation of Teachers when relevant and coordinate continuing education consistent with credentialing bodies such as the Academy of Certified Archivists.

Regular programming has included lecture series, panel discussions, and workshops hosted at venues like the New York Public Library, Columbia University, and the Brooklyn Museum, featuring speakers from Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University, and Princeton University. Events have addressed topics such as digital preservation with presenters from Internet Archive and Google, conservation techniques related to work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA, and oral history practice reflecting collaborations with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The organization organizes job fairs, networking receptions during conferences like the Society of American Archivists annual meeting, and workshops that mirror curricula from Columbia University and CUNY Graduate Center archival programs.

The organization produces newsletters, bibliographies, and finding aid templates used by archives at Barnard College, Hunter College, Queens College, and small repositories like the Museum of the City of New York. Its resource guides reference standards from the Society of American Archivists, encoding practices inspired by the Text Encoding Initiative, and digital preservation strategies consistent with recommendations from the National Digital Stewardship Alliance and the International Council on Archives. Publications have highlighted projects at New-York Historical Society, Brooklyn Historical Society, and university archives at Columbia University and Fordham University.

The association partners with institutions including the New York Public Library, New-York Historical Society, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Queens Public Library, and municipal agencies such as the New York City Department of Records and Information Services. It advocates for archival funding and public access in coordination with professional bodies like the Society of American Archivists, the American Library Association, the National Archives and Records Administration, and civic organizations engaged with policies involving the Freedom of Information Act and local municipal records legislation. The group has collaborated on grant-funded projects with funders such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services and on disaster response and recovery with partners including the American Red Cross and local cultural recovery initiatives.

Category:Archives in New York City