New Western New York Digitization Center officially opens at Buffalo's Central Library

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library selected by New York Genealogical & Biographical Society to host new center as part of a statewide effort to preserve historical documents, make them publicly accessible.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Press Release

The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library and the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B) announced the opening of the Western New York Digitization Center, located inside the Central Library’s Grosvenor Room – home to one of the region’s most distinguished local history and genealogy collections.

To mark the opening, the organizations are hosting a celebration and tours of the new center with regional and local historical and genealogical societies from 10-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 29, at the Downtown Central Library’s Ring of Knowledge. Speakers include the distinguished genealogist D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, FUGA, NYG&B president and CEO; Susan Buttaccio, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library special collections manager; and Rhonda Hoffman, the public library’s genealogy specialist.

“Our library could not be more honored to take part in this critically important and mission-aligned effort,” Interim Library Director Dorinda Darden said. “As stewards of one of the most significant genealogical collections in New York state, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library is proud to partner with many organizations in an effort to safeguard and share our region’s history, and distinguish Buffalo and Western New York as hubs for accessible preservation and discovery.”

The Western New York Digitization Center is one of only three such sites to date – and the only one hosted by a public library – operated through the NYG&B’s Digitize New York initiative. Digitize New York is a statewide effort launched in 2023 to preserve New York’s at-risk historical records and make them publicly accessible for researchers, genealogists, educators and community members.

“The opening of the Western New York Digitization Center at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library is a proud moment for our community,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. “This initiative not only preserves our region’s remarkable history, it makes it accessible to all. I commend the Library and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society for their partnership and vision in ensuring that the stories of Western New York’s past are protected and shared for generations to come.”

Located in Buffalo, the Western New York Digitization Center features a CopiBook OS A2, a top-of-the-line high-precision scanner, funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. The other Digitization Centers are located in Syracuse, and NYG&B’s office in New York City.

"With the opening of the Western New York Digitization Center, as our third site in the state, we have galvanized Digitize New York's efforts to preserve and protect historical documents and make them freely available for communities and researchers – now and for future generations," Taylor said. "By partnering with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library to broaden this work, together we will ensure a lasting legacy of record preservation and access throughout the region and statewide."

Call for volunteers

NYG&B has also opened a call for volunteers to take part in the effort by scanning physical records in the Central Library’s Grosvenor Room. Interested volunteers will be provided with an orientation session to determine availability, discuss skills, and review guidelines.

More on preservation effort

Any Western New York-based organization with materials relevant to New York family history may apply for the center’s services, which are provided at no cost to participating organizations that are selected. Digitized records will be processed and made publicly and freely accessible for everyone on the NYG&B’s online records and collections platform, helping link local stories to the broader arc of state and national history. In addition to preserving deteriorating materials, the project removes geographic barriers by enabling public access to rare and often otherwise inaccessible records.

The partnership reflects the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s longstanding commitment to civic memory, and profoundly public access to knowledge.

For more information or to inquire about digitization services, visit www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/western-new-york-digitization-center.