Collections : [New York State Modern Political Archive]

The Samuel B. Gould Papers document his personal life as well as his many professional positions in education, including his tenure as chancellor of the State University of New York.

Contains speeches of Samuel Gould as president of Antioch College (1954-59), chancellor of University of California at Santa Barbara (1959-62), president of the Educational Broadcasting System (1962-64), chancellor of SUNY (1964-70), chancellor emeritus (1970), director at McKinsey and Company (1971), chairman of Commission on Non-Traditional Study (1971-72), president of Institute of Educational Development/Research and a number of addresses he gave as a private citizen. The main topics of the speeches were educational reform and university life. The speeches from Gould's tenure as president of Antioch College are bound together in one volume.

The Tanya M. Melich Papers contain materials relating to the political landscape of the United states throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, as well as various social movements with a particular emphasis on Women's rights.

Tanya Melich was director of the Election Research Unit for ABC News during the 1964 Republican National Convention. As a result, she accumulated numerous papers regarding the presidential primaries in New Hampshire and California, as well as the Republican National Convention and inaugural celebration. The series includes voting reports and analysis, general information on the convention, schedules, biographical information of candidates and platforms, committee meeting notes, and news clippings. The series begins with the New Hampshire primary in March, continues with the California and later primaries, the Republican National Convention in July, and ends with the inauguration of 1965.

Mildred F. Taylor was a Republican politican from Lyons, Wayne County, New York. Taylor was a delegate to the Republican National Convention from New York in 1940, 1948, 1952 (alternate),and 1960; the chairman of the Wayne County Republican Committee, 1943-1956; and a member of the Assembly of the New York State Legislature, 1946-1960. This collection documents her vast political experiences, including her work on the Joint Lesiglative Committee on Historic Sites.

This series contains information on New York State History. As a member of the Standing Committee on the affairs of villages and the Joint Committee on Historic Sites, Mildred worked to preserve various historical sites in New York State. Sites include the John Jay House, castles on Long Island, and churches. Taylor also worked to preserve the New York State Thruway since she saw it as an essential part of New York State's upcoming history. This series also contains brochures on various museums, as well as meeting minutes from the Joint Legislative Committee, and correspondence with members from various historical societies. This series also features documents that focus on the preservation of the Erie Canal (Barge Canal) and its surrounding areas that are essential to the history of New York State. Other prominent papers include walking tours of New York City and inspections of the value of various historical sites.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is the preeminent statewide organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of individual civil liberties and civil rights in New York State. Founded in 1951, the NYCLU's mission is to defend and uphold the basic rights and liberties articulated in the Bill of Rights and to advocate, litigate and educate for the protection of civil liberties. Through litigation, legal counsel, advocacy and legislative lobbying, the NYCLU has, among many issues, protected political freedom during the McCarthy era, argued against the constitutionality of the Vietnam War, created the first project focused on the rights of mentally disabled, and was the first civil liberties organization to advocate for reforming the foster care placement system. Over the last thirty years, the NYCLU has advocated for issues surrounding voting rights and censorship, fought to end gender discrimination and school segregation in New York State schools, and defended the separation of church and state. The collection consists of legal case files, administrative records and other archival materials. The collection is being processed and is currently closed, unless permission to access is granted in writing from the NYCLU Executive Director.

The Versatile Club Records document the day-to-day operations of this community organization founded in 1910.

The Violet and Irwin F. Bender, Sr. Papers document the Pennsylvania couple's shortwave radio monitoring and subsequent correspondence about prisoners of war during World War II. The papers also contain correspondence about Axis Sally, an American radio broadcaster who was working for the Third Reich during the war and was later tried and convicted of treason in the United States.

This series contains primarily environmental, scientific and legal journals, magazines, newsletters, reports, analyses, studies, and other publications collected by the ASLF. The majority of materials address environmental issues or geographic areas specific to New York State, although the Midwest is well represented. The series is divided into four subseries - serials, New York publications, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation publications and publications about issues outside of New York.