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On-Site Reviews Prove Informative The information provided through on-site reviews continues to be helpful and useful to the repositories in the Northern New York Library Network’s seven-county region. The Advisory and Technical Assistance site reviews are funded through the New York State Archives. These competitive reviews are provided by the NNYLN at no cost to repositories. A site review was conducted for the Town of Schuyler Falls Historian’s Collection on January 6, 2004. The consultant suggested that a mission statement should be written and approved by the Town Council; the historical records should be stored in a clean, dry and secure space in containers appropriate to the format; trained staff should be accessible during hours of operation; and all brochures and flyers should be dated for timely review and revision. A review was conducted at the Goff-Nelson Memorial Library, Tupper Lake on January 12, 2004. The consultant recommended that acid-free storage materials be used; the environment of the basement storage area should be monitored to determine if it is suitable for archives; and a Collections Committee should be created. The Wilmington Historical Society had a site review conducted on November 15, 2003. The advisor recommended that the Society may want to consider the use of a tracking form for incoming gift records to provide accountability to donors; copies of historical records should be used for display; an archival security policy should be adopted by the Society’s board, publicized and implemented; and Society brochures should be widely distributed. A site review was conducted at the Hermon Heritage Hall on November 17, 2003. It was recommended by the consultant that the repository continue to inventory their collections; use acid-free materials; recruit new volunteers; and work to improve the security of the collections to prevent further losses. A review was conducted at the Thousand Islands Museum, Clayton on October 24, 2003. The advisor suggested that the collections be processed by creating an inventory, doing basic conservation work, and arranging, describing and creating finding aids; and the Mission Statement and Collections Policy be reviewed. An on-site review was conducted at the MacSherry Library in Alexandria Bay on September 26, 2003. The consultant recommended that basic conservation work be conducted, if it has not already been done; an inventory of the Nestle Collection should be completed; and DHP workshops offered by the NNYLN should be attended. Santa’s Workshop, North Pole, NY received an on-site visit on September 24, 2003. The consultant recommended that the current historical records collection be housed in a clean, dry and secure space until a permanent location is identified; as possible, expand the interim finding aid to allow for more precise identification of collection components; finding aids should be available to potential users; and establish contact with local grant sources. During all site visits, comments made by the consultants are advisory in nature; facilities are encouraged, but not required to act on the recommendations. Interested in a review? Fill out the form on page 3 and return it to the Network.