Tompkins County starts search for new County Historian
Published on November 12, 2025
Tompkins County formally begins the process to identify and appoint the next Tompkins County Historian. The appointment of a public historian is required by New York State law for every municipality. Applications can be submitted until December 1, 2025.
The County Historian plays a unique and essential role in the civic infrastructure of county government. This position preserves, interprets, and elevates the lived history of the county; supports access to primary sources, archives, and historical documentation; works with municipal historians; and ensures that the public records, past and present, are translated into context that is accessible, accurate, and relevant for residents, researchers, and public officials alike.
The historian also operates at the intersection of the community and the county government — advising on historically significant materials, helping connect public policy and public memory, and amplifying projects stewarded by the Tompkins County Historical Commission and other affiliated municipal historical bodies.
In accordance with the Tompkins County Charter, the historian will periodically convene meetings of municipal historians and The History Center, providing consultation and leadership on:
- Assembling and preserving historical documents and information
- Developing and presenting programs and research projects
- Identifying sites of historical significance
- Using maps and other tools to support historical understanding
- Researching cemetery locations and conditions
- Reviewing and advising on the deaccession of historic materials
- Addressing other topics deemed appropriate by the group
With renewed interest in historical programming and several major county historical projects now underway, this appointment will be foundational to anchoring ongoing work and to sustaining institutional continuity.
Interested individuals are invited to submit a cover letter and resumé to County Administration via email at ctyadmin@tompkins-co.org (Ref: County Historian Application) or via mail at 125 East Court Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. Electronic submission is preferred. The application deadline is December 1, 2025.
Tompkins County looks forward to welcoming a qualified and engaged historian who is ready to serve this community.