Do you speak Volkswriter? MultiMate? Visicalc? Making Steps Toward a Universal File Format Reader

All file formats become obsolete over time. There are tens of thousands of formats in use today. How will we make sense of information stored in these formats over time? This week's Tech Tuesday entry talks about one line of research that is attempting to address this issue - the Data Format Descriptive Language (DFDL).

WiFi @ Archives I and II

Good news for DC-area NARA users- as of today, wireless internet is available to registered researchers at A1 and A2! This means that researchers with laptops and other WiFi-enabled devices will be able to access the online catalog, Ancestry.com, Footnote.com and other great sites via the free wireless connection in public areas of the Archives … Continue reading WiFi @ Archives I and II

"What Are You Working On, Tara McLoughlin?"

Ever wonder what exciting new projects the many employees at NARA are working on? The “What are You Working On?” blog feature aims to introduce a variety of NARA employees and highlight some of the exciting projects we are working on around the agency. Check for this blog series on Wednesdays! This week, we introduce … Continue reading "What Are You Working On, Tara McLoughlin?"

Family Tree Friday: Using military unit and operational records–World War I

A recent post in the "NARA Coast to Coast" blog here on NARAtions (see Pay Day for Some World War I Military Personnel Records from September 27, 2010) highlighted problems in researching 20th century military service that resulted from the July 12, 1973 fire at the Military Personnel Record Center in St. Louis, Missouri.  In addition to … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Using military unit and operational records–World War I

"What Are You Working On, Pamla Eisenberg?"

Ever wonder what exciting new projects the many employees at NARA are working on? The “What are You Working On?” blog feature aims to introduce a variety of NARA employees and highlight some of the exciting projects we are working on around the agency. Check for this blog series on Wednesdays! This week, we introduce … Continue reading "What Are You Working On, Pamla Eisenberg?"

Agenda for the November 19th DC-Area Users Group Meeting

We hope you will join us for the last DC-Area Users Group Meeting of 2010, this Friday, November 19th at 1 pm at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, in lecture room B. The agenda for the meeting includes 1. a discussion of the Archives II Saturday pull pilot 2. an update on the … Continue reading Agenda for the November 19th DC-Area Users Group Meeting

Retracing President Lincoln’s 12-day journey to Washington: shortening the journey of his digital records to Illinois

After winning the 1860 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln left his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, on a 12-day journey to Washington. With the help of our technology research partners in Illinois, it takes just a few seconds to send huge volumes of electronic copies of his records back to Lincoln's Presidential Library.

Primary Sources Rock.

Today's post comes from guest blogger Stephanie Greenhut, Education Technology Specialist with the Center for the National Archives Experience. We know! And we were happy to hear that NARA’s new DocsTeach.org prompted this tweet on October 4. It was part of the almost-immediate-feedback we received after launching the site. Additional blogs, tweets, social bookmarks, social … Continue reading Primary Sources Rock.

Family Tree Friday: Post Office Records

Did you know that Post Office records are useful for genealogical research? These records are often overlooked by beginning genealogists, but if your family was associated with the Post Office, they can provide some interesting information. Some of my favorite records in this record group are the records of appointments of postmasters. There are two … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Post Office Records

What did you do in the war, Grandpa?

In honor of Veterans Day, today's blog post comes from Nathan Jordan, an Archives Technician at the National Archives at Atlanta.  Nathan recently presented his family's history of military service using resources from the National Archives. Greetings from Atlanta!  Thanks for allowing me to blog in honor of Veterans Day. When I began working as … Continue reading What did you do in the war, Grandpa?