Description of Local History Room Collections, Services, Policies, & History

• Books are organized into two collections, Long Island Reference and New York Reference. These are supplemented by the Library's Reference, Nonfiction, Oversized, Young Adult / Audiovisual, Children's & Parents' Services, and various mirror collections in storage.  Local history books are listed in the Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog.

• The Long Island Reference Collection (LI REF) contains works on selected aspects of L.I. agricultural, business, economic, educational, environmental, genealogical, industrial, literary, maritime, military, naval, political, religious, scientific, social, technological, and social history; as well as works on various historical periods and personalities. Another major section is organized geographically (see "Improving Access", below).  Classics, standard works, scholarly findings, and items aimed at a general audience, sometimes sit side by side.  Government publications may include selected town records, cemetery registers, environmental assessments, historic sites, planning documents, and more.  

• Improving Access:  Dewey Decimal Classification, used by most public libraries, does refine materials to the county-level, but not below that level.  That quickly becomes a problem, when dealing with history more local than the county.  From a practical standpoint, it scrambles material on smaller geographic areas, arranging them mainly by author or title (not by locale).  People using the collection often ask for everything we have, for example, on a particular town, village, or outer island, or by 2 variant definitions of L.I. as a region  To make this material more readily accessible, an organzational scheme was created and adopted by Patchogue-Medford Library, to clarify and re-organize the four most heavily used sections of Dewey relating to Long Island history, by geographic locale, adding a short mnemonic (sounds-like what it is) abbreviation.  The basic set is:  

• L.I. Region (R-LI): 
  • R-LI-2 = works on the Nassau-Suffolk bi-county region
  • R-LI-4 = works on the 4-county region, adding the 2 western or New York City Boroughs/Counties of Long Island, Kings & Queens
• Individual L.I. Counties (CO)[added for visual ease, on spine labels]:
  • CO-SUFF = works about Suffolk County, in general
  • CO-NASS = works about Nassau County, in general 
• L.I.'s Outer Islands (I):
  • For example:  Fire Is.[I-FIRE], Fisher's Is. [I-FISH], Gardiners Is. [I-GRDNR], Plum Is. [I-PLUM], Robins Is. [I-ROBN]
• L.I. Towns (T):
• Babylon [T-BABL], Brookhaven [T-BROO], East Hampton [T-EHAM], Huntington [T-HUNT], Islip [T-ISLP], Riverhead [T-RIVR], Shelter Island [T-SHIS], Smithtown [T-SMTH], Southampton [T-SHTM], & Southold [T-SOHD], in Suffolk County
• Hempstead [T-HEMP], North Hempstead [T-NHEM], & Oyster Bay [T-OYBY], in Nassau County.
• Individual L.I. Villages (V):  Both incorporated and unincorporated -- e.g., Amagansett [V-AMAG], Amityville [V-AMITY], Bay Shore [V-BYSHR], Centerport[V-CPORT], Deer Park [V-DEER], East Islip [V-EISLP], East Patchogue [V-EPATCH], East Hampton (village) [V-EHAM], Huntington (village) [V-HUNT], Lindenhurst [V-LNDNH], Mattituck [V-MATT], Medford [V-MEDF], Merrick [V-M-RICK], Montauk [V-MONTK], Muttontown [V-MUTTN], Northaven [V-NHVN], Patchogue [V-PATCH], Port Jefferson [V-PJEFF], Valley Stream [V-VLSTRM], Westhampton [V-WHMTN], Wyandanch [V-WYNDN], Yaphank [V-YPHNK], and many others);
• Customarily-Grouped Villages (VGP): e.g., Five Towns [VGP-5TWN], Three Village Area [VGP-3VILL], the Moriches [VGP-MRCH], The Hamptons [VGP-HMTN].  
• To see the complete organizational arrangement, click here: A Guide to Localizing Dewey for Long Island Use .  It is also listed in our "Librarian's Corner" section, and has been adapted for local use by a gradually growing number of public libraries around Suffolk County. 

• The New York Reference Collection (NY REF) - contains selected histories, historical documents and studies, on New York State, various regions, counties, cities and communities. There are encyclopedias, dictionaries, historical gazetteers of the state.   Archeology, historical periods, native plant and animal life, cemeteries, industries, Indians, historical travel, maritime, and military records are just some of the themes covered. NY REF includes works on New York City's history, on the History of individual boroughs, and various themes and statictical publications on the history of the city. 
• Due to available space within the Room, half the L.I. REF Collection and three-quarters of the N.Y. REF. Collection are held in storage.  But items are obtainable on request, during the Room's open hours. Selected items in storage collections may be examined in the Periodicals Plus Room, during Library hours whether the Local History Room is open or closed. The titles are listed in the Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog. 

Local History Magazines & Newspapers  - a small selection of available items:

• Long Island Forum, 1938-2004 - available in Celia M. Hastings Local History Room; inquire at Periodicals Plus, during hours when the room is not open
• Long Island Forum [Cumulative] Index, 1938-2003 - available online at Home, or in Library
• Long Island Historical Journal, 1988-2008 - inquire in Celia M. Hastings Local History Room
• Patchogue[-Medford] High School.  Record [yearbook], [1925]-2009 - inquire in Periodicals Plus Room; there are some gaps, esp. in early years
• St. Joseph's College  (Patchogue Campus, Patchogue, NY)  
  • Reflections [yearbooks].  
  • Memories [yearbooks]. 
  • Horizons  [yearbooks]. 
  • Achievements [yearbooks]
• Note:  Many of these yearbooks now appear on the web, courtesy of the College.  Links to various digital yearbooks may also be found on our Patchogue-Medford Area History web page, about 4/5th's of the way down the page, under -- St. Joseph's College.  Patchogue Campus --- Yearbooks. 
• Seton Hall High School. Milestones [yearbook], 1941-1974 - inquire in Periodicals Plus Room  [Note:  St. Joseph's College, Patchogue Campus, now occupies the former site of Seton Hall High School] 
• Suffolk Historic Newspapers, 1839-2007 [various runs of 9 Sufolk County weeklies; available online at home or in Library; currently includes:  The Corrector, 1822-1911 (Sag Harbor); The Long Islander, 1839-1960 (Huntington; courtesy of Huntington Historical Society); South Side Signal, 1869-1879 (Babylon); The Long Island Traveler, 1872-1898 (Cutchogue, 1872; then Southold); Sag Harbor Express, 1885-1898 (Sag Harbor); Suffolk County News, 1888-1942 & 1996-2007 (Sayville); Port Jefferson Echo, 1892-1931 (Port Jefferson); and Mid-Island Mail, 1935-1941 (Medford Station)]and  Patchogue Advance, 1926-1948 (Patchogue)  - Newspapers be searched individually or as a group, using the advanced search feature 
• Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Online, 1841-1902 (Brooklyn Public Library) -- The important things to remember are: (1) this was a daily, as opposed to early Suffolk newspapers, which were weeklies; and (2)  its coverage extended to most Long Island villages (large and small).  This site is available online at Home or in the Library.  Search village names using their pre-1903 names, if known to you (if no luck, try its current name). Brooklyn Public Library is working on a sequel.  Number of pages per issue expanded after 1902, slowing the process of analysis, needed to make articles, illustrations, etc. individually accessible.)   
• Mid-Island Mail, 1935-1941 (Medford Station, N.Y.) (microfilm; available for in-Library use; inquire in Periodicals Plus Room; also available in Library or at Home on Suffolk Historic Newspapers [see above])
• New York Times, Historical edition, 1851-2006 (available in Library, via Library subscription; the Library also maintains a subscription to the current edition, which can also be searched in the Library))
• Newsday, Jan. 1979-     (microfilm; available in Library; inquire in Periodicals Plus Room)
• Rivington's New York Gazetteer, March 18, 1773-Dec 18, 1783  (microfilm, available in Library; inquire in Periodicals Plus Room) -- Leading Tory newspaper of N.Y.C., during the British occupation, during the American Revolution; also available online to Ancestry.com subscribers, and may also be searched in Library, via Library subscription) 
• Rivington's New York Gazette, 1779-1783 (microfilm; a leading N.Y.C. Tory newspaper, during the American Revolution, containing frequent news of affairs on L.I.; available in Library; inquire in Periodicals Plus Room; also available to subscribers online via Ancestry.com, which may also be searched in Library, via Library subscription) 

Local History Audiovisual Materials

• L.I. Maps & Atlases - may selectively be found in the L.I. REF and NY REF. collections, in and near the map cases, in map tubes, among the archival materials, in the vertical files, electronically, and in occasional exhibits and displays)
• L.I. Photographs, Post Cards, and Period Illustrations - may selectively be found in L.I. REF and NY REF. collections, in the archival collections, mounted aerial photographs, in the vertical files, electronically in scrapbooks, and occasionally in exhibits and displays
• Local Oral Histories - may selectively be found on audiotapes, a couple of digital audiotapes; and a few transcriptions are underway

Local History Archives

• Burr Atlas of New York State
• Sanborn Atlases of Patchogue (3 vols.)
• World War I Veteran Surveys
• Virginia Roe Marshall Scrapbook
• Hurricane of 1938 Scrapbooks
• Junior Order United American Mechanics Archive 
• Patchogue-Medford Library Archives
• Patchogue-Medford High School Athletics [selected years' newspaper clippings]
• Photographs & Illustrations of Patchogue
• LIRR Photos
• Frank Mooney Aerial Photos of the Patchogue Area (Mounted)
• Postcard Collection
• Oral History Collection

Local History File Cabinets (Vertical Files)

• Long Island Vertical Files -- 24 file drawers, arranged by subject, A-Z; heavily subdivided to aid research
• L.I.--Patchogue Vertical Files -- 8 file drawers, arranged by subject, A-Z; heavily subdivided to aid research
• Long Island / L.I-Patchogue Vertical File Subject Headings - online directory; over 1000 subject headings and subheadings, designed to speed research and retrieval

Local History Electronic Resources

• Patchogue-Medford Area Historic Images (Flickr.com)
• Local History web pages -- geographically-arranged series (in the left-hand column, generally proceeding from larger to smaller areas, as you move down the column) 
• Local History Room [web page] -- general orientation to Room and to other pages
• New York State History [web page] -- general and classified by subject
• Long Island History [web page] -- general and classified by subject
• Long Island Counties [web page] -- by County (Note:  Suffolk has its own web page)
• Long Island Town Histories & Records [web page] -- by each of the 3 Nassau Towns; and 10 Suffolk Towns  (Note:  Brookhaven, in Suffolk has its own web page)
• L.I. Villages -- Nassau [web page] -- Classified by individual Nassau County village, whether incorporated or unincorporated, and including Nassau's two cities (Glen Cove and Long Beach)
• L.I. Villages -- Suffolk [web page] -- Classified by individual Suffolk County village, whether incorporated or unincorporated (Note:  The Patchogue-Medford Area [including the villages within that library and school district], has its own web page)
• Long Island Forum Index, 1938-2003 [searchable database]
• Historic Long Island Newspapers  [links to Suffolk Historic Newspapers and Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and more]
• Long Island Vertical File Subject Headings -- L.I. Vertical File and L.I.--Patchogue Vertical File subject heading lists (subjects, A to Z; heavily subdivided)
• Suffolk County History [web page] -- general and classified by subject
• Brookhaven Town History [web page] -- general and classified by subject
• Patchogue-Medford Area History [web page] -- general and classified by subject
• Patchogue-Medford Library History [web page] -- general and classified by subject
• Researching Your House -- general and Suffolk County-specific; includes online version of a PML brochure + link to related Suffolk County Archivist and Suffolk County Clerk sites)
• Librarian's Corner
• Thematically-organized web pages:  e.g., L.I.'s Poetic Heritage, history month pages (emphasizing L.I. aspects)
• PML & SCLS online local history reference works
• Offline local electronic resources
• Local history digital images
• Commemorative PowerPoint presentations
• Access to selected L.I. historic newspaper web pages
• Access to selected local history web pages of Suffolk County's public libraries 

Local History Displays and Exhibits

• These are occasional, usually related to a commemoration, e.g., Black History Month (February), Women's History Month (March), Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), Archives Month (October), the Patchogue-Medford Library Centennial (2000), Brookhaven Town's 350th Anniversary
• They are often accompanied by displays in the Celia M. Hastings Local History Room windows,  handouts, web pages, and/or handouts
• There are usually handouts available to the public on the general history of Patchogue and Medford, Researching Your House, and an Outline of the Room's holdings.

A Brief History of the Local History Room

• While the precise origin of the local history room is elusive, further research, perhaps by a promising librarian intern, may yield up clues.   The nucleus of the collection can be said to the library's several origins, in 1883, 1900, and 1908, represented by a few surviving books, maps, atlases, photos, and two published library catalogs.
• In the early 1920's, Patchogue Library had what it then called a small museum collection, basically mounted butterflies, that have long since either been reclaimed or disintegrated.
• Sometime between the 1920's-1950's, local history materials were gradually clustered. 
• By the late 1950's, the collection came to be housed in a small, cramped, dark, unventilated basement room in the Carnegie Library, conditions ideal for growing mold.
• By the late 1960's, the room became overstuffed by the growing accumulation and a precarious assortment of related and unrelated material.   Librarians retrieving materials were required to wear hard hats, and the public was not allowed to venture there, due to the potential risks to them.
• The present room was created after the Library moved to its present location, in 1981.  As it was found to be directly over the boiler, it was shifted next door to its present location.
• 1984-86 saw the Library venture into local oral history, in a series of audiotaped interviews, conducted by Sally Garrett and Constance Borntraeger.  They continued to accumulate a well-selected, ecclectic collection of materials and the collection soon outgrew the room.  That trend has continued, to the present, so that half the Long Island Reference Collection and 3/4ths of the New York Reference Collection is held in storage, though accessible, and the vertical file cabinets were bursting with material under broad, often nonstandard subject headings.  Maps and atlases were accumulating, as were archives on a variety of topics.
• Heroic forays were made in the 1908's and 1990's to create, automate, and improve access to the Long Island Forum Index and L.I. Genealogical Index, a commitment of over a decade (initially on mid-1970's Cindex software).
• Since 1997, active reorganization and reinterpretation of the collection has taken many forms:  (a) Carrie Locke's subdivision and standardization of the Long Island and L.I.--Patchogue Vertical File Subject Headings Index, and placing it on the web; (b) Gary Lutz's redesign and launching of a successful, multiply searchable Long Island Forum [Cumulative] Index, 1938-2003; (c) reorganization of a critical portion of the L.I. Reference Collection, geographically that brought together material, for the first time, material on individual L.I. towns, villages, outer customarily grouped villages, and outer islands, and arranged them alphabetically, significantly speeding research; (d) creation and/or publication of a variety of print and electronic (both online and offline) resources:  to improve access to collections, interpret the collections and archives, highlight and illustrate local aspects of national commemorations, celebrate local commemorations (including, e.g., Patchogue-Medford Library's Centennial, and Brookhaven Town's 350th Anniversary, Historic Suffolk), generate displays, exhibits, and public handouts; and increase PML's value as a local history resource for others.  In 2009 and 2010 our Local History web pages were redone, and quite a few new pages were added.  Links were added to many classic histories, documents collections, and a number of local genealogies recently introduced to the web.  Most recently, we've added links to recently-digitized versions of selected books and pamphlets in our collections, and launched a Patchogue-Medford Area historical image site on Flickr.com.  The Patchogue-Medford Area History web page has also recently undergone significant expansion.

Local History Room Policies & Photocopier

• All materials in the Celia M. Hastings Local History Room must be used in the Room, and must remain in the room. 
• These materials and related materials in storage do not circulate.
• Long Island Reference Storage & New York Reference Storage items do not circulate.
• Photocopies may be made in the Local History Room @ 10 cents a page. 
• Note:  Sometimes there are also circulating copies of works, elsewhere in the library (e.g., Non-Fiction and Q collections), or in other libraries, that may be borrowed.  Check the Library Catalog for circulating copies.  There may also be another library that will lend the title you seek.  Check the County Catalog.  If so, it may be requested on interlibrary loan from that library.
• Room tours may be arranged either informally, during the Room's posted hours (if it is not busy, or in use by researchers), or by prior arrangement.  There is also a self-guided tour of the room on our Local History web page.  Specialized tours are best if made by prior arrangement. 
• For further information, inquiries, or constructive suggestions, contact:  Mark Rothenberg, (631) 286-1600, ext. 240 or mrothenberg@pmlib.org