Archives

The following online resources are free and available to everyone. When using any material, it is mandatory to credit the respective sources.

Vintage Postcards and Stereoviews of Buffalo’s Olmsted Park System | New York Heritage Digital Collections

Annual Reports of the Buffalo Park Commissioners 1870 to 1915 | Hathi Trust Digital Library

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Olmsted Archives | Flickr

More Olmsted Resources | Compiled by The Buffalo History Museum

The BOPC Archives welcomes researchers. Visits are by appointment and only on Wednesdays between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm. To make an appointment, please contact archivist Martha Neri at Martha@bfloparks.org and complete the BOPC Archive Usage Agreement below. Upon arrival at the Archives, please sign–in with Martha. To avoid damage to materials in the collection, all visitors must adhere to the following guidelines.

BOPC Archives Usage Agreement

All visitors must complete this Agreement before accessing the BOPC Archives. Please email completed and signed agreement to Martha at Martha@bfloparks.org or bring a printed copy with you at your first appointment visit.

Guidelines for Visitors — Upon Arrival

• Dispose of all food and drinks. Food and drinks are not permitted in the archive area.
• Please silence your cell phone.
• Library materials and personal items, notebooks, laptop computers, books, may be subject to inspection prior to entering or upon leaving the archives.

Guidelines for Visitors — Using the Materials

• Books, plans, drawings and archival documents are provided to visitors by the Archivist – after consulting the finding aids and submitting a request to review materials – one box at a time.
• Visitors may have items placed in a folder for short-term hold in the archives.
• All written notes are to be taken in pencil. Marking, erasing or altering materials is strictly prohibited
• Laptops and iPads for taking notes are permitted
• Non-flash digital photography is allowed.
• All materials must remain on the surface of the worktable
• Only the Archivist will retrieve, re-file, re-shelf or return items to their original location
• Many items in the collection are available online. If a document is available online, the researcher will be directed to the appropriate website to view the materials on their own device by the Archivist. The BOPC does not have devices that can be used by researchers. If the researcher does not have access to a device for research, hard copy materials can be made available.
• Several items in the archives are of a nature where they should not be handled (original rare and irreplaceable and/or extremely fragile). In these instances, the Archivist will provide the researcher, where possible, with a copy of the item(s).

We would love to hear from you! Please contact us via the online form below or email Martha at Martha@bfloparks.org.