Message from the Commissioner - Records

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Message from the Commissioner
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Harmful Content Statement

Message from the Commissioner

Mission

Donate Now

Accessibility

Harmful Content Statement


Message from the Commissioner

Pauline A. Toole
Commissioner

Welcome to the New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS)! We operate the Municipal Library, Archives and Record Center which collectively are responsible for City government's current and past records.

Our mission is to foster civic life by preserving and providing access to the historical and contemporary records of New York City government, to ensure that City records are properly maintained following professional archival and record management practices and to make materials available to diverse communities both online and in person.

Mayor Eric Adams has directed City agencies to become more efficient and transparent. The DORIS initiatives make government's records easily accessible online and our team is working, every day to Get Things Done.

DORIS has modernized operations to reflect the best practices in each field. The digital platform for City government's historical records holds millions of documents including photos and 10 million genealogical records. New Yorkers can learn what City government is doing from thousands of easily searched reports published by City government agencies in the government publications portal at the Municipal Library. The City's one-stop Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) portal helps New Yorkers file and track requests. City agencies can manage the digital records they create and use with an electronic records management system deployed by the records management team.

The Archives staff have begun to review how the holdings are described so the language is respectful to the people who use and are represented in the collections. During this review, offensive and demeaning language will be identified and replaced.

We continue to use the historical material in the Library and Archives to explore themes around immigration, full civic participation, surveillance, discrimination and the City's infrastructure. In the process we are engaging with new audiences who learn about City government's long history of leadership in the fields of public health, education, infrastructure, public safety. Our Neighborhood Stories project gathers community stories that add vibrant personal examples that complement the governmental records.

I hope you enjoy browsing this website. Please visit us in person at either 31 Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan or at our new Sunset Park location. Contact research@records.nyc.gov to make an appointment.

Pauline Toole
Commissioner