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. 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 is there, however, the Archive’s own banner is much smaller. Additionally, a google search of the area surrounding the archives yields no results. The Archives is overshadowed by its neighbor and all the more iconic building in Manhattan. To find the Archive, one must be deliberately searching for it. There are so many opportunities, resources, and activities at the National Archives. The community could make beneficial use of such, but to even gather information of the place becomes an onerous task. Why is that when one searches for the Natural History Museum the New York Historical Society appears but when one searches for the National Museum of the American Indian the only neighbor that appears is the Charging Bull?
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. 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. Even after my first visit, I thought the Archives were closed to private use. It was not until after a few visits that I learned it was open to public. This information needs to be more public and more opportunities should be given to students to visit the location.
The best way to combat that would be a number of things. First, the banner must be improved so that both locations recieve equal publicity. 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. Third, host events such as National History Day! Brings students to the location and educate them about the purpose of the Archives. During my times there I only saw the elderly making use of the location and even then their numbers were sparse. Any sort of work to increase awareness for the Archives would be beneficial!
With many thanks,
Danny Farran
