Cold Spring Harbor— Preservation Long Island (PLI) is pleased to announce that we are the recipients of an Inspire! Grant for Small Museums from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Collecting since its founding in 1948, Preservation Long Island’s diverse and comprehensive collections comprise approximately 3,000 objects and 185 cubic feet of archival materials. The grant will enable PLI to undertake an assessment of its inventory practices to improve access and the long-term care and maintenance of the collections displayed and stored at its historic sites and facilities—the PLI Headquarters building in Cold Spring Harbor, Joseph Lloyd Manor and Collections Storage in Lloyd Harbor, Sherwood-Jayne Farm in Setauket, and the Custom House in Sag Harbor. The grant funded project runs from September 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023.
Ranging from artistic and technological masterworks, to documentary imagery and everyday artifacts, PLI’s collections represent the social, cultural, political, and economic history of Long Island over four centuries.
“PLI holds its collection in trust for the public. The IMLS grant represents a strategic investment in the management of its permanent collection,” said Alexandra Wolfe, Preservation Long Island Executive Director.
“Organizationally, the project will enhance how PLI preserves and cares for its important artifacts of Long Island’s history,” said Lauren Brincat, Curator, Preservation Long Island. “Nationally, this project will promote access to and interest in Long Island’s history and cultural heritage.”
“As pillars of our communities, libraries and museums bring people together by providing important programs, services, and collections. These institutions are trusted spaces where people can learn, explore and grow,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “IMLS is proud to support their initiatives through our grants as they educate and enhance their communities.”
The Joseph Lloyd Manor property will serve as a pilot site for the grant project. The house was the center of the Manor of Queens Village, a 3,000-acre provisioning plantation established in the late 17th century on the ancestral lands of the Matinecock Nation. Jupiter Hammon (1711–before 1806), one of the first published African American writers, was one of the many people of African descent enslaved at the site.
The collections inventory project will help bring to light new stories that can be told with the existing collections at PLI’s historic sites. In addition, with the information gathered through this project, PLI will be able to seek new acquisitions that help make PLI’s collection—and the public programs, exhibitions, interpretations, and digital content the collection supports—more relevant to more people while also enhancing public knowledge of unrepresented stories.
About Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Preservation Long Island
Preservation Long Island is a not-for-profit organization that works with Long Islanders to raise awareness, appreciation, and support for the protection of our shared past through advocacy, education, and the stewardship of historic sites and collections.