Spotlight on: Vertical Files – Receptions

By Christine Bruzzese, Director, Municipal Library

The Municipal Library vertical files collection includes information on receptions for visiting dignitaries, monarchs, athletes, astronauts and more. It consists of five file folders of clippings dated mostly from the 1940s to the 1960s.

In late November, early December of this year, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the United States though not New York City. An earlier President, Charles de Gaulle, came to New York City in August 1945 and was honored with a ticker tape parade followed by a luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Here is a page from the booklet describing the reception.

The image below is from the program for a reception honoring the President of the Republic of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1963 hosted by Mayor Robert F. Wagner.

Municipal Library Notes Official Directory of City of New York with One Up image

by Christine Bruzzese, Director, Municipal Library

The February 28 issue of Municipal Library Notes features an article about the Official Directory of the City of New York. More widely known as the Green Book, this directory has been published almost every year since 1918. All the print editions can be found in the Municipal Library collection. The article describes the useful material included such as information about city agencies, statistics on budget and geography and more. No longer published in print format, the Green Book can be found at NYC Open Data portal: https://data.cityofnewyork.us/ in a searchable database. Please note: the 2005-2006 edition was published with an orange cover.

Here is the article:

Here are 2 pages from the 1923 directory:

For the Record

by Michael Lorenzini, Operations Manager, Department of Records and Information Services

Since December 2016, the agency blog, For the Record, has been highlighting collections from the NYC Municipal Archives & Library and exploring the rich history of New York. Some recent articles you may have missed:

February 2, 2023: A Charter for New Amsterdam: February 2, 1653

This blog explains the significance of February 2nd as the anniversary of New York City Municipal government, for on this day in 1653 General Petrus Stuyvesant formed the first governing body and lower court system for New Amsterdam. It gave them the power to create many city agencies and positions that exist until this day. The Dutch court records held by the Municipal Archives start a few days later with a prayer that includes this passage: “Let us remember that we hold Court, not of men, but of God, who sees and hears everything. Let respect of person be far from us, so that we may judge the poor and the rich, friends and enemies, inhabitants and stranger according to the same rules of truth and never deviate from them as a favor to anybody, and whereas gifts blind the eyes of the wise, keep our hearts from greed, grant also, that we condemn nobody lightly or unheard, but listen patiently to the litigants, give them time to defend themselves.”

The first two pages of the court minutes of New Amsterdam with a prayer on the left page, and then the first day of court on February 6th, 1653. Records of New Amsterdam, NYC Municipal Archives.

January 27, 2023: The Alien Squad

The Municipal Archives collection of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia’s papers includes a series, titled Public Meetings. It contains reports from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on public meetings between 1940 and 1945. The meetings in question were of political groups under surveillance by the so-called “Alien Squad,” later known as the “Red Squad,” and properly known as BOSSI, the Bureau of Special Services and Investigations. These reports tie in with the photographs in the NYPD photograph collection taken for the NYPD intelligence division.

Memorandum, December 12, 1940, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

January 20, 2023: From Marketfield to the Greenmarket, Part I

Supplying a diverse and teeming city with fresh food has been a constant problem in New York. Farmers’ Markets, which have undergone a resurgence in recent years, are nothing new. This blog explores the history of the Dutch and English colonial markets of New York. It is the first of three that will explore the history of New York’s public markets from the first Dutch markets in the 1600s, to the present day.

The Maerschalck Plan of New York in 1754 shows the location of markets in the English Colonial Era: The Broad Street or Exchange (7), the Fish (8), the Old Slip (9), the Meal (10), the Fly (11), the Burlins (12), and the Oswego (11).

January 13, 2023: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in New York City

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 1964. Upon his return from Europe the following week, Mayor Robert Wagner presented Dr. King with the Medallion of Honor, the city’s highest award. The files in the Public Events series within the Mayor Wagner papers, reveals extensive documentation regarding Dr. King’s reception.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mayor Wagner, City Hall, December 17, 1964. Official Mayoral Photograph Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Research and Requesting Records at the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS)

By Ashley Vega, Legal Intern

No need to file a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to get information about City government. Like all public libraries and archives, the holdings of the Municipal Library and Municipal Archives are open to the public for research. FOIL is not applicable. To make an appointment email research@records.nyc.gov.

The Municipal Library houses over 400,000 reports, books, periodicals, and documents about New York City government. There is also a growing digital collection of agency publications, available online through the Government Publications Portal (“GPP”). The GPP search engine allows patrons to select the subject, agency, and report type to narrow records search.

Patrons can also search records and publications from the 17th century to the present in the Municipal Library Catalog. Although the publications in the catalog cannot be electronically accessed, after using the catalog to identify records of interest, patrons may access the physical materials, by appointment only, in the Rebecca Rankin Reading Room (111) at 31 Chambers Street.

The two most requested record types from the Municipal Library are Board of Estimate and Department of Health materials.

The Municipal Archives preserves and makes available city agency records such as office documents, manuscripts, photographs, blueprints, vital records, maps, sound recordings, and still and moving images. Collections can be searched using the online guides available here. The most requested record types from the Municipal Archives are the Office of the Mayor, Board of Education, Almshouse, and Criminal Court records.

To make an appointment to use the materials from the library or archive, or request more information, please send an email to research@records.nyc.gov.

Achieving Better Customer Service: Motivational Pillars

by Praveen Panchal, Chief Information Officer, Department of Records and Information Services

Remember that winning customers is keeping customers. Each individual customer’s perception of your area will determine how well you do this, and that perception will depend on the level of customer service you provide. Following motivational pillars will help you create a solid customer-centric foundation for your area and go a long way to help you become a successful manager:

1. Vision: "It's not so much where we stand, but the direction we are moving."
2. Success: "Knowing we are on the right path and not alone in our journey."
3. Challenge - "Challenges can be steppingstones or stumbling blocks. It's just a matter of how you view them."
4. Communication - "Build bridges, not walls."
5. Leadership - "The essence of leadership is vision."
6. Attitude - "A positive attitude is a powerful force."
7. Customer Care - "Grow your world around your customers and more customers will grow around you."
8. Customer Service - "Always give the customer more than they expect."
9. Teamwork - "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

Board of Education Facts and Figures

by Pauline Toole, Commissioner, Department of Records and Information Services

The Municipal Library holds a host of publications and clippings that provide information on government operations. There are documents from every office of City government which are available to the public either online in the Government Publications Portal https://a860-gpp.nyc.gov/collections/zw12z528p?locale=en or in the research room at 31 Chambers.

Among the publications is a set of 4”x6” booklets titled New York City Public Schools Facts & Figures. The set consists of seven reports beginning with the 1962-1963 school year and concluding with the 1975-1976 school year. Reports for seven school years are missing.

Front cover from the 1964-1965 report

Facts describe the school system’s organization and range from the calendar for the academic school year, organization charts, descriptions of programs and special services

Nestled between descriptions of innocuous programs like a Veterans Rehabilitation program open to Korean conflict veterans and After-School and Summer Centers is a surprising offering: Literacy Tests for New Voters. As late as 1969, the Public Schools offered annual “Regents Literacy tests” in October for potential voters “who require a certificate of literacy to qualify as a voter.” The test was administered by the Board of Continuing Education. The literacy requirement, established in 1921 by New York State, required English-language fluency and was an effort to stop immigrants from voting. Although the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) banned literacy tests it was mostly applied in the South. The extension of the Act in 1970 broadened the jurisdiction. This literacy test along with the low percent of the voting age population who were registered to vote in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan meant New York City was covered by the federal Voting Rights Act. Elections were monitored by the Justice Department until the VRA was gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.

Figures include graphics showing the source of funds and how the funds were spent, charts listing the number of each type of school or the number of students in the lunch programs—both paid and free, the per pupil cost of instruction and much more.

Per pupil cost—1970-71

An interesting fact is that swimming pools at the public schools were open in the evening to community members. Evening Community Centers were open from 7 to 10 pm “to meet the recreational needs of teenagers and young adults.”

Class size chart

The average class size was 30.6 students in elementary school and 32.7 in high school in 1961. By 1970 the number dropped to 26.6 in both elementary and high schools. By 1975, this data point was no longer provided. Currently the information is on the Department of Education’s website: with an average of 26.6 pupils in elementary school and 22.3 students in high school.

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