Q&Archives: The Future of Records at the NYC Department of Sanitation
An Interview with Maggie Lee, Records Management Officer for the Department of Sanitation (DSNY)
Archives are not static, neither in practice nor in function.
As new approaches to preserving and providing digital documentation emerge, the role of records and variety of what is archived evolve simultaneously. These changes often lead to greater transparency and openness in the public sphere, but also new interpretations of what “building an archive” means for various industries and organizations in the digital world, not just galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.
To explore these ideas, this week we’re chatting with Maggie Lee — the Records Management Officer for the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) as well as the Deputy Director for Museum Planning for the agency’s nonprofit arm, the Foundation for New York’s Strongest. In addition to collecting more than 10,500 tons of residential and institutional garbage and 1,760 tons of recyclables each day, the Department is also a leader in environmentalism that actively expands and celebrates its mission through art and archives.
Urban Archive: What’s your role at your institution and can you tell us a bit about your collections?
In my records management work, I develop policy that governs the retention and destruction of government records. While we do not have an archive per se, I act as a liaison between DSNY and the Municipal Archives and Municipal Library, helping to identify records and publications of enduring value to the City.
My work for the foundation also allows me to think about not just the documentary record, but also about the material culture of the agency, which is not generally in the scope of archival and records management work. In a nutshell, all of my work involves thinking about value — what has value, and for who? For how long? What does this tell us about the work that we do?
Urban Archive: What does it mean to “build” an archive for a city agency?
A lot of my work — especially when I first started — was identifying what kinds of records we keep as an agency and figuring out the ultimate destination of them, based on legal or audit requirements or because they could be of historic interest. Do we need them for seven years? Twenty? Forever?
Records that document the work of high-level city officials, like commissioners and deputy commissioners, are an important part of the historical record of the City, so when I explore storage centers and forgotten closets across my agency, I keep an eye out for what types of records are there. The correspondence of a past commissioner, for example, would likely tell a future researcher a lot about city policy and would be exactly what the Municipal Archives would need to preserve. So I’d work with them to get the records transferred to their permanent repository.
In some cases, like the photographs on Urban Archive, we will work to digitize them before handing them off, so that we can better share them across agencies and with the public!
Urban Archive: How does digital engagement impact the way you think about the potential and role of your agency’s collections?
A really important piece of the foundation’s work is public education — we want New Yorkers to understand the critical work that our agency does to keep the City healthy, safe, and clean, and we’d like them to think about how they can be better partners in that work. Digital photo collections are an excellent resource for telling this story: we are an essential part of New York City now, and historically, we always have been!
Urban Archive: How does your work in records intersect with larger agency initiatives?
One of the foundation’s long-term goals is to establish a sanitation museum, which would celebrate the vital work of DSNY — both past and present — and inspire future innovation in sustainable waste management. The most rewarding part of my job is discovering ways to share this story and further our goal of making our museum a reality!
Thanks for reading our third article in our Q&Archives series! As a reminder, you can always catch up on previous conversations (so far with the Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library) or tune in next week.
You can also tap here to check out DSNY’s collections on Urban Archive. Have fun exploring!
