To the National Archives of New York City,
I find great pleasure when I walk the halls of the Historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House in Bowling Green. The history that surrounds the building and the history kept within the building astonishes me. I believe it is the only place in New York City where you can walk in and come out with a copy of a New York Times article detailing Kafka’s death, court record, naturalization records, pictures of historical events, and even more. I feel at home in such a place being such a passionate fan of history. I think the best part of the Archives is that all the resources are provided free of charge. I have attempted to access databases and rarely are they free and as complete as the ones present at the Archives.
But I do find fault with the Archives and that is its difficult to locate and there is a complete lack of advertisement for the location. It shares a building with the National Museum of the American Indian. That specific portion of the building has a large banner plastered outside the building letting everyone who passes know what there, however, the Archive is not advertised in any way. There are so many opportunities, resources, and activities at the National Archives and yet due to the lack of outreach they are left in the shadows.
The Website is fairly active and all the information one would need is present there. But how would one even know there is a website? I passed by the building who knows how many times without knowing that the National Archives were there. Google does not list the National archives as a museum. The only time the National Archives appear on a google search is when you specifically search up “NYC National Archives”. It was not until I went on a trip with my history teacher to the archives that I learned of its existence. Prior to that I, a history loving student, had no knowledge at all. I find this really unfortunate.
The best way to combat that would be a number of things. First of all, place a sign that let people now where you are on the building the archives are located at. If I had seen a building I would have become curios and visit and or research the location. I actually came across the National Museum of the American Indian due to their large banner and that is how I became aware of that museum. Another action that would help would be some kind of advertising campaign. It doesn’t have to be excessive with TV commercials and posters everywhere. Something as simple as having ambassadors travel to schools, colleges, and other community centers and discussing the resources available at the archives. Any sort of work to increase awareness for the Archives would be beneficial!
Cordially,
Danny Farran
