This series of brief webinars will illuminate the behind-the-scenes work that is done to make digital collections available on the New York Heritage Digital Collections website. Informal interviews with professional staff reveal stories from the archives, how materials were chosen as digital projects, and their impact on historical interpretations.

Spies do exist in the archive! Our next guest is Kristen J. Nyitray from Stony Brook University Libraries. Kristen will discuss the history and process of stewarding two American Revolutionary War-era, Culper Spy Ring letters authored by George Washington. Significant to regional and national historical narratives, she will provide context for the letters and detail the measures taken from acquisition to digitization in New York Heritage to ensure they are true public documents.

Kristen J. Nyitray is Associate Librarian and Director of Special Collections and University Archives, and University Archivist at Stony Brook University. Among her publications are the books Long Island Beaches and Stony Brook: State University of New York. Her current research is focused on Indigenous Long Island. A Certified Archivist and Digital Archives Specialist (SAA), she is recipient of the Chancellor’s Award (State University of New York) and the President’s Award (Stony Brook University) for Excellence in Librarianship.

New York Heritage Digital Collections, created and maintained by the Empire State Library Network, promotes access to the wealth of historical resources held by cultural heritage institutions—so that inquiring minds can learn more about the people, places, and events that contributed to the making of New York State. Visit us at nyheritage.org

Regsiter @ NYH