The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge
News Column in The Empire State Mason Magazine - Fall 2004

The following article appeared in The Empire State Mason Magazine, an official publication of The Grand Lodge of the State of New York. To subscribe to the magazine, or to read more articles of Masonic interest, visit the ESM web site.

Books And Artifacts And Computers - Oh My!

The Empire State Mason - Fall 2004 (p. 36)
by RW Richard A. Vang, Trustee

If you have not recently checked in on The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge, such might be your reaction to what you'd find. "LivMaLib" is stepping into the 21st Century, with a view to bringing previous centuries to light.

Starting in 2003, the Grand Lodge Library Committee and the Trustees of the Library, under the leadership of Committee Chairman and Board President RW Richard Eberle, embarked upon an ambitious Five-Year Strategic Plan that focuses on digital technology to expand access to its collections and present Masonic history to the world. (The Mission Statement and a detailed description of the Strategic Plan are available in the Library's most recent Annual Report.)

Evidence of the Board's implementation of the Plan can be seen in the recent "renovation" of the Library's web site, www.nymasoniclibrary.org. The attractive and easy-to-navigate web site has several new features, including a brief history of the Library, FAQs, hours of operation, and contact information. You can learn about the services offered to both Masons and the public, such as genealogical research and the Reading Courses. In addition to a brief overview of the extensive collections, "finding aids" (a type of archival abstract and index to a collection) help site visitors learn about special collections like the Charles Looney Engraving Collection and the Morgan Affair papers. Finally, a news and events page highlights recent activities.

The Library Committee and Board is aware that physical distance prevents Upstate Brothers from visiting the Library. To address this problem, the expanded web site will become the vehicle which allows us to bring the Library to you. As the efforts of the Strategic Plan unfold, you will literally be able to sit at your home computer and enter the "virtual" museum to view artifacts and read important historical documents. This will be a major breakthrough for the Brothers of this Grand Lodge, for Masons around the world, and for the non-Masonic public as well.

An important step on the road to a virtual museum is the recent acquisition of a high-end, state-of-the-art digital scanning system and digital camera. (See photo at left.) These tools will digitally capture images of artifacts and documents in the collections, and will be cataloged in a software application from Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC), a long-time leader in electronic cataloging. Alongside the virtual museum will be the library's book catalog, already in process. Soon, anyone will be able to see which books we have in our collection, just by visiting the web site. These efforts will put LivMaLib on the virtual map, so to speak. It's an exciting time, my Brothers!

But, as you can imagine, all of these efforts require time and MONEY. There is a common misconception that a portion of your Grand Lodge dues goes automatically to support the Library. This is not true. In the past, LivMaLib has received funds through the Grand Master's Allocation or direct donations. Other portions of the operating expenses have come through YOUR donations to the Brotherhood Fund-but only if you designated a portion of that to the Library. You may also contribute to the endowment of the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library of Grand Lodge, which is a IRS 501(c)3 Not-for-Profit organization. As a result, the Library faces some fiscal challenges.

To meet this challenge, an Endowments Subcommittee has been established, whose sole purpose is to secure funds. The grant-writing efforts of the Library Director, VW Thomas Savini, have already resulted in the Library receiving some grants, and more applications are being written. Grants are instrumental to our strategic goals, but the funds must be used for specific projects.While grants are instrumental to our strategic goals, the funds must be used specifically. For example, we cannot buy insurance with money awarded for an archival survey.

Therefore, the main challenge is to cover the daily operating expenses of the library facilities in both Manhattan and Utica. Archival quality folders and boxes are required to properly maintain and store artifacts and documents. Subscription fees for services like OCLC and web site hosting are necessary to bring the treasures of New York Freemasonry to you and the world.

Brothers, we need your help. We are one of the few tax deductible "charities" that directly benefits you as a Mason. We need YOUR help to make YOUR Masonic Library into a world class facility. You can help in many ways. Please designate some portion of your contribution to the Brotherhood Fund to the Livingston Library. Or, an outright contribution to the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library from you or your Lodge would be much appreciated-not only a donation of money, but also of time-we are in constant need of volunteers. Finally, consider the Library in your will. Many of the artifacts have endured for centuries, and your contribution will ensure that they endure for centuries more.

150th anniversary plaque on display at the Utica campus

If you would like to help the Livingston Library, please contact RW Tom Savini at (212) 337-6620, or through the web site at www.nymasoniclibrary.org. As always, remember that your donation to the Livingston Masonic Library is tax deductible.

©2004, The Empire State Mason Magazine.