Preservation L.I. / Digital Long Island Collection, E.H. Library | 2024 Awards Jan 25th ….

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Dear Friends of Preservation Long Island,

It’s hard to believe that six weeks have passed with me serving as Preservation Long Island’s new Executive Director. I have much to share with you in terms of accomplishments over the last few weeks, most of which have been many months in development, long before my arrival.

Before I begin, I’d like to reiterate that I am deeply impressed by the dedication of our Board and staff in advancing our important mission of historic preservation. It is clear that this organization – while complex and multi-faceted – is grounded in a shared passion for preserving and celebrating the unique heritage of Long Island.

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Digitization of the Collection

Under the guidance of Chief Curator and Director of Collections Lauren Brincat, Preservation Long Island has been participating in a project called Digital Long Island, which is organized by the East Hampton Library.

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I’m pleased to announce that 503 items from our manuscript collection now have been digitized and are now fully accessible online through the Digital Long Island portal. You can Click Here to access the Preservation Long Island material. This online collection includes 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century documents related to the Dering family, the Floyd-Jones family, a Revolutionary War militia book, and a Sag Harbor Custom House logbook.

I did a casual search in the database today which revealed everything from poems, recipes, and song lyrics to Whaling Ship logs and Army orders for Long Island’s famous “Minute Men” who successfully defended Long Island from the British forces fast approaching from Staten Island in 1776. This project doubles the amount of Preservation Long Island material currently digitized and is a treasure trove worth exploring.

I’d like to congratulate Lauren on this enormous effort which increases accessibility to our collections, expands our audience, and – importantly – enhances our engagement with both scholars and the general public. These kinds of projects are vital to furthering Preservation Long Island’s mission.

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Preservation Long Island Audience Analysis
Education and Engagement Director Andrew Tharler has just created a fascinating audience dashboard which maps the zip codes of our visitors at various kinds of on-site Preservation Long Island offerings, such as Exhibitions, Public Programs, Tours, and School Groups. ——————————–

You can Click Here to view and explore the database which contains data for 2024. Some key insights from this research are that visitors came to Preservation Long Island – in 2024 alone – from 155 different zip codes in the Tri-state area and that our Public Programs top the list of attractions. Congratulations, Andrew, for helping Preservation Long Island better understand the reach of our current offerings and help to identify underrepresented areas in need of further outreach.

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2024 Preservation Awards

I look forward to seeing many of you on January 25 at 5pm

at the Preservation Long Island Gallery for our 2024 Preservation Awards.

Thanks also go to Preservation Director Tara Cubie for her leadership on these important awards. To learn more about the awardees and to buy tickets or a sponsorship, just Click Here.

Cheers,
Jackie Powers
Executive Director
Preservation Long Island