§ 57.07. Local historian; appointment; maintenance of historical
edifices. 1. A local historian shall be appointed, as provided in this
section, for each city, town or village, except that in a city of over
one million inhabitants a local historian shall be appointed for each
borough therein instead of for the city at large; and a county historian
may be appointed for each county. Such historian shall be appointed as
follows: For a city, by the mayor; for a borough, by the borough
president; for a town, by the supervisor; for a village, by the mayor;
for a county, by the board of supervisors. Such historian shall serve
without compensation, unless the governing board of the city, town,
village or county for or in which he or she was appointed or in the city
of New York, the mayor, shall otherwise provide. In a city having a
board of estimate, other than the city of New York, a resolution or
ordinance establishing compensation or salary for such historian shall
not take effect without the concurrence of such board. Each local
government historian shall promote the establishment and improvement of
programs for the management and preservation of local government records
with enduring value for historical or other research; encourage the
coordinated collection and preservation of nongovernmental historical
records by libraries, historical societies, and other repositories; and
carry out and actively encourage research in such records in order to
add to the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the community's
history. The local authorities of the city, town, village or county for
which such historian is appointed, may provide the historian with
sufficient space in a safe, vault or other fire proof structure for the
preservation of historical materials collected. Such local authorities
and also the board of supervisors of each of the counties of the state
are hereby authorized and empowered to appropriate, raise by tax and
expend moneys for historical purposes within their several
jurisdictions, including historical edifices, the erection of historical
markers and monuments, the collection of war mementos, and, either alone
or in cooperation with patriotic or historical organizations, the
preparation and publication of local histories and records and the
printing and issuing of other historical materials in aid of the work of
the local historian.

2. Such local authorities and also the board of supervisors of each of
the counties of the state are hereby authorized and empowered, in their
discretion, to contract with the trustees of an historical association
for the support of any or all historic edifices situated within the
boundaries of such municipality; or may share the cost of maintaining
the same as agreed with other municipal bodies; or may contract with the
trustees of such historical associations to maintain said historic
edifices for public use under such terms and conditions as may be stated
in such contract. The amount agreed to be paid for such use under such
contract shall be a charge upon the municipality and shall be paid in
the same manner as other municipal charges, except in a city having a
board of estimate, other than the city of New York, such contracts and
any payments made thereunder shall be approved by such board of
estimate. In the city of New York, such contracts and any payments
thereunder shall be approved by the mayor.

3. Such local authorities are hereby authorized to establish and
collect reasonable charges to defray the cost of searching for and
reproducing copies of written or printed historical materials collected.