December 5, 2021

By Lisa Ackerman, Chair 

As another NYPAP newsletter is in its final stages, I have been speaking with Brad Vogel and many of my fellow board members about the Archive Project’s plans for 2022. Before we say goodbye to 2021, we are thrilled that we will see many of you at the upcoming Bard Birthday Breakfast Benefit. It is hard to believe that this is the 19th BBBB. We began the Breakfast in the Archive Project’s early days to gather with friends and colleagues to celebrate a forgotten figure in preservation history, despite the fact that New York State’s law that permits local landmarks regulation is called the Bard Act. We wanted to highlight the way archives play a role in current research, holding thousands of ideas, just waiting to become the central motif in a book, lecture, blog, or podcast.

The chronicle of the City brings us much joy—whether it is because of the books we read, the exhibitions we visit, or those we follow on social media. Many of our favorite sources of information depend on research that is made possible because institutions and individuals have devoted time and energy to collecting notes, images, articles, and oral histories that reveal the narrative of our environment.

We hope the newsletter captivates you and inspires you to help us continue our work. If we will see you at the Bard Breakfast, we cannot wait to greet you, either in person or virtually. And if we will not see you there, drop us a note, send us an email, and let us know what is on your mind. Maybe we will see you at an event soon. And of course, we hope you will continue being a part of the NYPAP family long into the future.

COVID-19 remains much on everyone’s mind, as does the state of life in the City. Preservation and archives are constants in our lives that can seem less urgent in light of the challenges facing New York at the moment. Yet they are essential to the resiliency of New York in which we take great pride.