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Printer-friendlyThe Archives @ Queens Library
Since 1912, the Archives at Queens Library has collected, preserved, and made available a myriad of resources that document the social, economic, and political history of the four counties on Long Island - Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. The Archives also serves as the repository of Queens Library records.
The Archives has one of the largest collections of primary and secondary resources documenting Long Island. It consists of approximately 36,000 books and volumes of serials, approximately 2,500 cubic feet of manuscripts, 4,500 maps and broadsides, 105,000 photographs, 422 feet of vertical files, and 9,000 reels of microfilm. The Archives has subscriptions to 49 journals and 28 newspapers.
The bulk of the printed material and manuscripts are from the 19th and 20th centuries, but extensive 18th century material and some 17th century manuscripts are also held.
Collecting Policy
The Archives divides its acquisitions into three areas:
- The Archives acquires primary and secondary resources documenting the natural, social economic and political history of Queens County in all formats.
- The Archives acquires secondary resources including reference works, monographs, journals, indexes and abstracts and other published works that document Kings, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties.
- The Archives acquires the records of the Queens Library’s Department heads, as well as the organization's publications, board meeting minutes and other historically valuable records.
The Archives accepts donations and purchases of material that fit within the scope of its collection.
Additional information may be obtained by writing or calling:
Archives at Queens Library Queens Library 89-11 Merrick Boulevard Jamaica, NY 11432 (718) 990-0770
A History of Earth Day and Environmental Awareness
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Each April, we celebrate Earth Day, a time to raise awareness of the various environmental challenges we face if we want to sustain our way of life. But where did Earth Day get its start?
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. It was the work of Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. Nelson was motivated to action by seeing the aftermath of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, the year before.
Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.
That first celebration, which took the energy of the student anti-war movement and melded it with raising public consciousness of the threats of air and water pollution, led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Coincidentally, the day before Earth Day, April 21, marks the birthday of John Muir, one of the original naturalists, who founded the Sierra Club. Muir was born in Scotland and his parents immigrated to the United States when he was young. They bought a farm in Wisconsin, but Muir soon found himself wandering the American West, admiring the landscape. Various travels took him across the continent, but he grew particularly attached to the Yosemite Valley in California. His advocacy was largely responsible for its preservation as a national park. Check out Muir’s writings on nature and this detailed biography to learn more about the origins of environmentalism.
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