N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law § 57.07: Local historian; appointment; maintenance of historical edifices

§ 57.07. Local historian; appointment; maintenance of historical

edifices. 1. A local historian shall be appointed, as provided in this

section, for each city, town or village, except that in a city of over

one million inhabitants a local historian shall be appointed for each

borough therein instead of for the city at large; and a county historian

may be appointed for each county. Such historian shall be appointed as

follows: For a city, by the mayor; for a borough, by the borough

president; for a town, by the supervisor; for a village, by the mayor;

for a county, by the board of supervisors. Such historian shall serve

without compensation, unless the governing board of the city, town,

village or county for or in which he or she was appointed or in the city

of New York, the mayor, shall otherwise provide. In a city having a

board of estimate, other than the city of New York, a resolution or

ordinance establishing compensation or salary for such historian shall

not take effect without the concurrence of such board. Each local

government historian shall promote the establishment and improvement of

programs for the management and preservation of local government records

with enduring value for historical or other research; encourage the

coordinated collection and preservation of nongovernmental historical

records by libraries, historical societies, and other repositories; and

carry out and actively encourage research in such records in order to

add to the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the community's

history. The local authorities of the city, town, village or county for

which such historian is appointed, may provide the historian with

sufficient space in a safe, vault or other fire proof structure for the

preservation of historical materials collected. Such local authorities

and also the board of supervisors of each of the counties of the state

are hereby authorized and empowered to appropriate, raise by tax and

expend moneys for historical purposes within their several

jurisdictions, including historical edifices, the erection of historical

markers and monuments, the collection of war mementos, and, either alone

or in cooperation with patriotic or historical organizations, the

preparation and publication of local histories and records and the

printing and issuing of other historical materials in aid of the work of

the local historian.

2. Such local authorities and also the board of supervisors of each of

the counties of the state are hereby authorized and empowered, in their

discretion, to contract with the trustees of an historical association

for the support of any or all historic edifices situated within the

boundaries of such municipality; or may share the cost of maintaining

the same as agreed with other municipal bodies; or may contract with the

trustees of such historical associations to maintain said historic

edifices for public use under such terms and conditions as may be stated

in such contract. The amount agreed to be paid for such use under such

contract shall be a charge upon the municipality and shall be paid in

the same manner as other municipal charges, except in a city having a

board of estimate, other than the city of New York, such contracts and

any payments made thereunder shall be approved by such board of

estimate. In the city of New York, such contracts and any payments

thereunder shall be approved by the mayor.

3. Such local authorities are hereby authorized to establish and

collect reasonable charges to defray the cost of searching for and

reproducing copies of written or printed historical materials collected.