More Than 1.3M City Council Documents Now Available for Online Research via the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY

HIV resolution from NYC City Council late 1990s
First page of a 1998 resolution (legislation #52) from The Council of the City of New York, which calls upon the New York State Legislature to amend the penal law in relation to classifying as assault in the first degree the act of someone intentionally infecting another person with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), when the other person is unaware of the infected person’s status. Image provided by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, LaGuardia Community College/CUNY

 

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (February 12, 2018) — Housed on the LaGuardia Community College/CUNY campus in Long Island City, Queens, the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives (“Archives”) serves as a repository of collections that illuminate the social and political history of New York City.

As part of its annual Microfilming and Digitization Program, the Archives staff scanned nearly 200,000 documents of the New York City Council in the most recent fiscal year (2016-2017), bringing the total number of City Council documents available on the Archives website to an excess of 1.3 million.

In total, over 2.3 million documents are now available for online research via the Archives’ website—representing the Archives’ 14 collections.

Highlights of the newly digitized City Council Material include:

Fiscal Crisis of 1970’s::
— Resolution # 589 of 1975
— State Leg. Resolution: # 119 of 1973
— Messages: # 476 of 1977
— Introduction # 868 of 1975

HIV/AIDS Prevention
— Introduction # 677 of 1991
— Resolutions on HIV –Early 1990’s
— Resolutions on HIV – Late 1990’s – 2000
— Resolution # 299 of 1990

Economic Development in Minority Communities
— Introduction # 326 of 1990

The newly microfilmed, digitized and indexed City Council documents now available on the Archives’ website include:

• Approximately 67,000 photographs depicting the City Council at work between 1985 and 2007. More than 24,000 of these photographs are searchable by user-chosen topic, preselected subject, name and site categories, and/or by year or date.
• 42,883 born-digital images (photographer’s edited/selected photographs) from 2003-2005 and 2007, searchable by date and event title.
• 1,500 boxes of materials (59 percent of the City Council collection) preserved and fully indexed.
• Data about the remaining 1,100 additional boxes; materials within the boxes are currently being preserved and indexed.
• Additional City Council documents, including Committee Files/Committee Proceedings (~ 150 boxes).

The above documents are from the files of Vice Chairman/Majority Leader Thomas Cuite and Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., and Speaker Peter Vallone Sr.’s Committee Proceedings/ Committee Files, specifically, Introductions, Resolutions, State Legislation Resolutions, Mayor’s Messages and Communications. These files include the printed bill of the given legislation, and many include other documentation surrounding the legislation.

• Vice-Chairman Cuite – Committee Proceedings I Series
– Resolutions (1969-1985)
– State Legislative Resolutions (1969-1985)
– Mayor’s Messages (1969 to 1977)

• Vice-Chairman Cuite – Introduction of Bills Series
– Introductions (1969-1985)

• Vice-Chairman/Majority Leader Peter Vallone – Committee Files
– Introductions (1986-89)
– Resolutions (1986-89)

• Office of the Speaker – Peter Vallone – Committee Files Series
– Introductions 1990-1993 AND 1998 – 2001
– Resolutions 1990-1993 AND 1998 – 2001
– Mayor’s Messages 1990-1993 AND 1998 – 2001
– Communications 1998 – 2001

About the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College
The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, established in 1982, serves as a repository for NYC’s social and political history, which includes among the largest collection of New York City mayoral papers. Archive records include the personal papers and official documents of Mayors Fiorello H. LaGuardia, Robert F. Wagner, Abraham D. Beame and Edward I. Koch, the records of the New York City Housing Authority, the piano maker Steinway & Sons, The Council of the City of New York and a Queens Local History Collection. Assets from these collections are regularly referenced in news stories, and studied by journalists, policy makers, and other researchers. The Archives regularly produces public programs exploring its collections, including an annual calendar devoted to a theme of importance to the Greater New York Metropolitan area. Click here to learn more.

About LaGuardia Community College
LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), located in Long Island City, Queens, educates thousands of New Yorkers annually through degree, certificate, and continuing education programs . LaGuardia is a national voice on behalf of community colleges, where half of all U.S. college students study. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his championing the underserved. Since our doors opened in 1971, our programs regularly become national models for pushing boundaries to give people of all backgrounds access to a high quality, affordable college education.


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