Section 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.