Contact
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Division for Historic Preservation
Bureau of Historic Sites
P.O. Box 189, Waterford, NY 12188
Collections@parks.ny.gov
+1-518-237-8643
Office Hours are typically Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (EST), except New York State Holidays
Inital Loan Inquiry
An initial inquiry should begin at least 18 months or more to identify potential objects. Initial inquiries may be sent to the Museum Registrar in the Collections Management Office at Collections@parks.ny.gov. Inquiries will be referred to the appropriate Party(ies).
If the borrower has identified specific objects it wants to request, they must submit a facility report for review by the registrar. International loans may take up to 24 months to review.
Formal Request
Once a borrower has made initial inquiries and identified specific objects, the borrower must submit a formal request letter addressed to the Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation, R. Daniel Mackay, containing the following information, and copy the Museum Registrar, Andrea Cerbie Marvinney:
- Name and brief description of exhibition
- Dates of loan
- Dates of exhibition
- Borrower venue(s)
- Borrower curator
- Address
- Contact name (usually Registrar or Collections Manager)
- Phone
Review and Approvals
The appropriate curators and site managers will review and consult with the Museum Registrar on the loan requests. The agency’s conservators review and assess condition and stipulate any special handling and display requirements. All relevant information is recorded in an internal Outgoing Loan agenda request form and presented to the Collections Committee for final approval.
When the terms of the loan have been agreed upon, the agency will issue a loan agreement for signature by both parties.
Image RequestsThe Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) does not charge fees for the use of our collection images. If a useable image file is not available, there may be minor fees associated with having the object(s) photographed. Please let us know how we can help you complete your project.
Images of most of our collections objects on eMuseum are available to download free of charge from that object’s page. Please use the information as provided on the object page to credit it accordingly.
If you are able to send us a copy or notice of your usage, we would appreciate hearing from you!
If the object you are interested in is not online, or you have other needs for your image request, please reach out to: Collections@parks.ny.gov for further assistance.
Copyrighted material will be copied in accordance with copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and the CONTU Guidelines. Written permission from copyright owner or payment of a royalty fee may be required. The copyright law governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or other reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for a purpose in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. All responsibility for use of the reproductions is assumed by the applicant. NYS OPRHP reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its sole judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve a violation of copyright law.
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation reserves the right to decline to have new photography based upon the condition of the object, the need for special handling or other circumstance that could place the object at risk of damage or deterioration.
Research RequestsScheduling Research Visits
BHS does not have staff dedicated to handling research requests and relies on shared rooms for conducting research. Therefore, all research visits are scheduled by appointment only and require advance planning to assemble the materials and reserve a dedicated research space. Research appointments are generally limited to particular weekdays (i.e. Tuesdays through Thursday) and only for a portion of the workday. All appointments involving one or more days require a one-hour lunch break; during such break the researcher will not have access to the research materials or the research room.
All researchers must submit a written request to the Collections Management office to schedule a visit. Requests should be submitted at least three (3) weeks in advance of your preferred arrival date. Requests may be submitted by mail or email. Requests submitted by email should be sent to Collections@parks.ny.gov; please include “Research Request” in the subject line. Requests submitted by mail should be addressed to:
Bureau of Historic Site and Park Services
Collections Management Unit
P.O. Box 189
Waterford, NY 12188
** For specific historic site research visits, please either reach out as indicated above, or to the historic site staff directly. Should you need assistance identifying such contact information, please let us know. **
All research requests should include the following information:
- A description of the purpose and scope of the research project.
- A list, or description, of the items that you wish to examine.
- Researcher’s full name and contact information, including affiliation with an organization or institution.
- Any special needs or requests for access or scheduling.
Approval of research requests is subject to the availability of staff to directly supervise researchers. While we will make a concerted effort to meet your preferred visitation timeline, please be aware that it might be feasible. To ensure the care and protection of these resources, browsing is not permitted and researchers are not allowed to handle any items.
Researchers will be notified in writing of their appointment dates and times. Cancellations should be submitted at least 24 hours in advance. Researchers who fail to show up at their scheduled times may be denied access to the collections.
Finally, we ask that researchers supply us with a copy of completed research, which will help us further the research value of the collection and assist future research.