POTW: Collection Storage

[Collection Storage, Long Island Historical Society], circa 1980, v1974.031.60; Long Island Historical Society photographs, v1974.031; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Brooklyn Historical Society’s collections include books, photographs, archival materials, maps, oral histories, fine art, and artifacts. Many of these materials are stored on-site, however, because of the size and needs of such a large and diverse collection, BHS has two additional off-site storage locations. In order to responsibly care for collections, the materials have to be stored in climate controlled environments that monitor temperature and humidity. That’s why if you make a research appointment at the library, we ask that you give us 24-48 hours to pull archival collections.

With that in mind, the photo of the week is a peek into some of the Othmer Library’s collection storage from around 1980. How we store items on site has changed quite a bit since this photograph was taken, but our dedication to collecting and preserving Brooklyn History remains the same. This photograph comes from the Long Island Historical Society photographs collection comprised of photographs from 1925 to 1980 that document the Society’s historic building and activities of the Long Island Historical Society (now Brooklyn Historical Society). To see more photographs from this collection, check out this gallery.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. library@brooklynhistory.org