Collections : [New York State Modern Political Archive]

Series 5 consists of prisoner intake files. The files contain letters from the prisoners to Alice Green or her staff. You can also find letters responding to the prisoners' inquiries and/or needs from Alice Green and her staff. The correspondence ranges from letters of introduction, explaining why they are/were incarcerated and what services or information they seek from the Center to Christmas cards. Some of the letters come from family members advocating on behalf of a loved one in prison. Most of those letters are from mothers or wives. The correspondence contains very personal information on the inmate and sometimes on the people they victimized or allegedly victimized, which is why the series is restricted.

The Center for Law and Justice maintained clippings files about issues and events that affected the criminal justice system, especially as it pertained to race and the African American community. There are also clippings on the African American community as a whole, both locally and nationally. The clippings span from 1985 to 1995, though articles from pre-85 and post-95 may be found randomly throughout the subject areas. The subject areas include Affirmative Action, African American Families, African American Females, African American Males, African Americans, African Americans in Albany, African Americans in the Media, AIDS, Albany, Alternatives to Incarceration, Center for Law and Justice, Civilian Control of Police, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Community Policing, Courts, Crime, Crime Economics, Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice System and Race, Crime Prevention, Death Penalty, Death Row, Drugs, Education, Female Prisoners, Forfeiture Bill, Fourth Amendment, Grand Jury, Juries, Insanity Defense, Misconduct, NYS Legislature, Police Brutality, Poverty, Pre-Trial Release, Prisoners, Prisons, Public Defense, Race and Media, Race and Racism, Race and Racism, Schenectady, Tenants' Rights, Troy, Use of Force, Violence, and Youth.

The Subject Files series contains mostly publications collected by the Social Justice Center and Peace Offerings from other organizations, such as newsletters and educational materials. Much of the material originates from the SELFHELP Crafts organization, which later became Ten Thousand Villages. Also included are research materials on the issues related to PCBs, environmental clean-up, and environmental justice.

The series contains oral interviews on audio cassette tapes related to Dr. Brown's historical research, breast cancer educational lectures on video cassette tapes, and an oral interview of Dr. Brown on audio cassette tape.

This series documents the Atlantic Chapter's various activities in the political process at the state and national levels. Included here are materials relating to its efforts to influence the 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1998 elections, such as endorsements and voter guides. The 1990, 1992, and 1994 elections are the most extensively documented. Other political activities the Atlantic Chapter engaged in include lobbying the New York State Legislature, tracking national political events (such as the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994), contributing to the revision of New York City's charter in 1989, and general grassroots activities. Also included are Atlantic Chapter documents relating to election law compliance and an electoral activity handbook for Sierra Club activists. There is also documentation of the offices, agencies, and initiatives of New York State government, including materials regarding Governors Mario Cuomo and George Pataki, the Legislature, the Department of Environmental Conservation, regulatory changes undertaken by Governor Pataki, and the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

Contains minutes, background information sent to members, correspondence, in particular to college and university presidents, membership lists, reports both by the Association's committees and by the University of ACUSNY the State of New York, and the State Education Department, and information concerning special meetings. Prominent topics include the State's need for a state university, 1947-1949; universal military training and manpower utilization, 1947-1949; planning for increased enrollment in 1954-1955 and the 1960s; state aid to private institutions, 1956-1960s; the Board of Regents Master Plan for Education, 1963; Constitutional Convention, 1967; Einstein-Schweitzer chairs, 1970s; improvement of the quality of student administrative services, 1981; perspectives of liberal education, 1984; women in higher education, 1987; reaching common interest in the public interest, 1989.

This series contains the reference collection for the NYRSC. The titles in this series have been cataloged in the University at Albany Libraries catalog, but remain a part of the collection.

Surveys were common during this period. These files contain many survey forms that were sent to all county commissioners to gain feedback on each county's local policy related to such subjects as child protection, cross matching, income maintenance, indigent burial, Medicaid, and state charge. These dates are not inclusive.

Series 3, Rensselaer County Government, provides a chronological record of the League's activities concerning the county government from 1952 to 1982. Some of the subject areas include apportionment, the charter, economic development, fair campaign practices and lobbying. The series contains materials on Know Your Rensselaer County, an effort by the LWVRC to bring awareness to Rensselaer County residents about the county government and electoral process within the county. The LWVRC has been involved in this effort since the 1940s, surveying and evaluating the status of the county government and its projects at any given time. The League was especially interested in public health (tuberculosis in particular), children's services, and the county's welfare administration in the 1940s. However, its interests also included jury selection, election participation, population, economy and local history. In the 1960s, the LWVRC began drafting Know Your Rensselaer County, which provided a portrait of the county's various departments, elected offices, and public projects. In 1972, county voters passed a charter-form of government. As a result, the League would become a sort of "watchdog" group for the implementation and execution of the goals of the charter, as will be seen in Series 6. By 1992, the LWVRC published the Rensselaer County Government Workbook as part of its review of the charter. It also expressed the League's position, supporting the County Charter. The purpose of the workbook was to "share information about the County Charter with students and teachers of High School Participation in Government classes as part of the Bicentennial Commission's Education Program."

Contains recorded broadcasts of The Environment Show, a WAMC-produced weekly radio show hosted by Peter A. A. Berle, former President of the National Audubon Society. The show features conversations with environmentalists about environmental crises, possible solutions, and paths to preserve natural resources.