The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has received a $60 million anonymous donation, the largest in its history, timed to its 60th anniversary. The funds will support a five-year effort to digitize, preserve, and catalog its 15-million-item archive of rare recordings, manuscripts, production photos, and other materials. Priority will go to fragile items at risk of decay, such as wax cylinders, cellulose acetate negatives, and unpublished prompt books. The gift aims to expand global access to the collection, which already includes digitized materials from the Martha Swope and White Studio archives, and enhance search tools for researchers and the public. The library received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater last year.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/arts/design/nypl-donation-performing-arts-library.html