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Queens Memory Collection

 Collection
Identifier: QMP-2011-001

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of physical items that were donated to the Queens Memory Project during its initial period, from June 2010 through October 2012. Materials represented in the collection include photographs; news clippings; printed documents, programs, and fliers; newsletters; school report cards; and typed essays. There are also two small published books. Artifacts include a souvenir badge from the 1964 World’s Fair and a commemorative pin from a community event. Items donated to the project after October 2012 are housed at the Archives at Queens (Public) Library.

Dates

  • 1935-2012

Creator

Language

Most of the materials are in English. Some items are in Chinese, Korean, and Romanian.

Access

Collection is open for research. Staff may restrict access at its discretion on the basis of physical condition.

Copyright

The Queens Memory Project Collection is physically owned by the Queens College Libraries. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assignees. The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Queens College assumes no responsibility for the infringement of copyrights held by the original authors, creators, or producers of materials.

Historical Note

The Queens Memory Project (QMP) is a collaborative digital archive that seeks to document the day-to-day life and history of Queens, the most diverse county in the United States. The archive originated in June 2010 as an independent study project of Natalie Milbrodt, then a student and Archives Fellow in Queens College’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. Although the initial collection focused on the Waldheim section of Flushing, the project quickly expanded its scope, gaining support from both Queens College and the Queens (Public) Library. This team successfully applied for a digitization grant from the New York Metropolitan Library Council (METRO) and, by the fall of 2011, the QMP website went live with approximately 300 audio and visual records. From 2010 to 2012, Queens College was the main partner in the collaboration. In October 2012, the Archives at Queens (Public) Library became the lead partner, hiring Milbrodt as its Digital Content & Strategy Coordinator. Queens College remains a key team member, and partnerships with other organizations have been pursued as well. Past and present partners include the Queens Historical Society, the Queens Council on the Arts, the Queens General Assembly, StoryCorps, and Historypin.org. Many individual volunteers also contribute to the project. From QMP’s inception, oral history interviews have been the primary organizational focus. Artifacts such as photographs, documents, news clippings, and ephemera generally are selected to lend context to topics discussed in the interviews. Physical items that are digitally reproduced on the site come from a variety of sources, including existing collections of both Queens College and the Queens (Public) Library. Some items are donated directly to the project, while many more are loaned for digitization and remain privately owned.

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet

Abstract

This collection consists of physical items donated to the Queens Memory Project, a digital archive that documents the history and daily life of Queens, between June 2010 and October 2012. Some materials were given to accompany oral history interviews recorded for the project, while others were donated as standalone items. The collection includes photographs, documents, fliers, news clippings, personal papers, printed programs, and other miscellanea. Most, though not all, of the items have been digitized and are accessible on the project’s website (http://www.queensmemory.org).

Arrangement

The majority of the materials are arranged into series corresponding to the communities in which they originate or to which they relate. They are: Series I: Corona Series II: Flushing Series III: Hollis Series IV: Jamaica Series V: Queens Village Series VI: Woodside Materials are further sorted into subseries corresponding to the creator or donor of the items.

The final series is arranged under the Donor's name: Series VII: Tom Carey Papers

Source

Individual and organizational donors to the Queens Memory Project.

Related Collections

Tom Carey Papers, Queens College, NY Constance Waters Collection, Queens College, NY Bette Weidman Papers, Queens College, NY www.queensmemory.org

Source

Creator

Title
Queens Memory Project Local History Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Lori A. Wallach, approved by Natalie Milbrodt and Alexandra Dolan-Mescal, Summer 2013. Machine readable finding aid created by Dan Brenner, Spring 2014.
Date
1/1/2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Queens College (New York, N.Y.) Special Collections and Archives Repository

Contact:
Queens College Library, CUNY
Benjamin Rosenthal Library RO317
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
Flushing 11367 USA us