The City Tech Science Fiction Collection (SF Collection) consists of 765 linear feet of shelved material, including complete and near-complete runs of the major SF magazines going back to 1929, and 41 boxes (1.5 cu. ft. each) of unshelved material. It was established in 2016 by a large anonymous donation. It has grown thanks to subsequent donations. Scholars have made use of the collection’s materials for their research, museum curators have studied its materials for exhibits, and students in Science Fiction and Information Architecture classes have learned from the collection’s contents and organization.
The SF Collection has faced significant challenges to its existence and sustainability in recent years. First, mold infestations proliferated throughout the City Tech buildings during the first phase of the COVID shutdowns, which impacted some of the materials in the collection and the environment in general. Second, the environmental systems connected to the City Tech Archives where the SF Collection is housed are incapable of maintaining the proper temperature and humidity for the fragile materials in that space. Third, the space has experienced substantial water leaks from the building’s roof, which is directly above the archive space, in December 2025 and January 2026, which resulted in 120 books being discarded due to water damage and the introduction of water to the carpeted floor of the archive’s space.
The City Tech Library, under the leadership of Head Librarian and Professor Abubakar Tidal, Jr., is pursuing grant funding to improve the archive space. Unfortunately, there are no available, locked spaces at City Tech to hold the collection while the space is improved.
We are requesting urgently needed assistance to relocate, protect, and return the materials:
- Climate controlled space suitable for archival materials (35-65°F and 30-50 percent relative humidity) to store the SF Collection (approximately 300 1.5 cu. ft. boxes) for two years.
- 300 x 1.5 cu. ft. cardboard boxes.
- 3600 yards of 1.88” packing tape (approximately 50 rolls).
- Large van or box truck (storing).
- Large van or box truck (returning).
- Volunteers to box materials, move materials to loading dock, load truck, unload truck at destination, move materials to storage space (storing).
- Volunteers to move materials to loading dock, load truck, unload truck at destination, move materials to storage space (returning).
Please reach out if you have questions, suggestions, or offers of support: Wanett Clyde, Associate Professor and Collections Management and Archives Librarian (wclyde@citytech.cuny.edu or 718.260.5496) and Jason Ellis, Associate Professor and SF Collection Coordinator (jellis@citytech.cuny.edu or 404.401.0342). Thank you for your consideration!
