Long Island History

The SCLS Long Island History Page is intended primarily for use by Suffolk County, N.Y. Public Libraries.   It can be a place for public library personnel and administrators to discuss: (a) the public library’s decision to pursue, role in, methods, means, and techniques of maintaining and administering local history collections and services;  (b) resources on Long Island History.  

The column to the right outlines 2 tutorials currently under development: 

“Local History & Public Libraries, 101″  (general reasons for public libraries’ to pursue local history, and their roles in, and their methods of addressing  local history, in a Suffolk County, NY setting)

“Long Island History in Public Libraries, 102″  (information and resources on L.I. history for public libraries, from 3 perspectives:  chronological, subject/thematic, and biographical/genealogical)  

The two tutorials are based on a larger body of information, still being developed, written, and transferred to the Local History Page.  While no claim is being made to their comprehensiveness, it is hoped that these tutorials may prove useful and practical overviews, to public libraries. 

For each tutorial, a basic overview  has been provided.   Numbered sections (or aspects) of each tutorial, are outlined, slightly impressionistically, by a series of titles, each reflecting a section theme or consideration.   The titles are those of various articles, essays, reference tools, links, illustrative examples, historical images, related online material, even poetry, among other things.  They may link to representative, or countywide material online, or create summaries of countywide infromation.  More material will be added, revised, expanded, linked, edited as each tutorial is further developed.  This format is still somewhat experimental.   Some content (articles, essays, etc.) has already been added to, or revised in, several sections.  But, these will probably be linked from their titles, to decongest section introductions, better encourage new (reference) staff to pursue local history, render the sections a bit cleaner, easier to understand and use.  

Constructive contributions, essays, experiences, discussions, suggestions, methods, are welcome and invited.  Please be sure to include your name and library in the post. 

Mark Rothenberg, Senior Reference Specialist, Suffolk Cooperative Library System/Patchogue-Medford [Central] Library; Historian, Celia M. Hastings Local History Room, PTCH - updated 11/18/08