The Farmingdale - Bethpage Historical Society has a new display, Preserving Farmingdale History, in the Farmingdale Public Library. It shows how the Historical Society is trying to make Farmingdale's rich and fascinating background known to its citizens.

The Archives Committee has the responsibility of preserving Farmingdale history. The first and most important task is caring for the material in the Archives. This is where we store all articles, pictures, memorabilia, artifacts, books, etc. that relate to Farmingdale. These are stored according to very strict archival standards and rules, so that they may be preserved for generations to come. The members of this committee are very careful to follow these procedures.

Professionalism is what we strive for and is what is expected of the Archives Committee. To meet this criteria, members of the Archives Committee attend seminars given by the Long Island Library Resources Council (LILRC) to learn and discuss proper archival procedure and materials. We package and store the different types of material according to the strict procedures. We store most our material in special archival tissue and boxes that are kept in metal cabinets in a cool environment. All our pictures are in acid free plastic folders for easy handling and less contamination.

We are responsible to make the material accessible for responsible public access. To do this we code and number every piece of material so that it is easily available. We have computerized the archives and recently updated our computer equipment so that we can keep track of all we have in our archives and access it quickly.

The Archives Committee maintains displays in the library that are interesting and relevant to the people or history of Farmingdale. We have pictures of Farmingdale in restaurants and other businesses. At the present time, we are trying to get a mural on the wall of a bank. These displays must be done in such a way that is in keeping with the dignity and tone of the material that was donated to us. We have been taping histories of some of our citizens so that we get a more personal view of the events and times of our community. These are very interesting and exciting endeavors. Our library display showcases the work done by the archives committee. Come and see what we do and how we work to preserve our history.

We are trying to let the people of Farmingdale know what we and the Farmingdale - Bethpage Historical Society are about. If you have some bit of history or a story to tell or historical data, we would love to know about it. You would be "right at home" with other people who enjoy history and love Farmingdale. If you are interested in joining the historical society, call Mildred Johnston at 249-3099 or if you would like to work in the archives, or donate memorabilia call Dolores McAfee at 694-0103.