"What Are You Working On, Ernest Webby?" Volunteer Edition!

In early December, the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, awarded Weidman Outstanding Volunteer Service Awards to three National Archives volunteers.  Ernest Webby was honored for his ingenuity and achievement in establishing a program to enhance Web resources for the John F. Kennedy Library. What’s your name and where do you volunteer at NARA? … Continue reading "What Are You Working On, Ernest Webby?" Volunteer Edition!

Question: How should NARA use Twitter?

Cultural organizations sometimes get a bad rap for adopting “technology for technology’s sake.” This tends to happen when observers feel that the excitement and widespread appeal of a new product has eclipsed its actual usefulness within the scope of the organization’s existing mission and strategic plan. On the other hand, with the proper research, planning … Continue reading Question: How should NARA use Twitter?

Follow-up to Our Question About Transcription

Yesterday we asked a question on the blog about transcribing NARA's handwritten records. Thanks to those of you who commented for the ideas and examples! We love the idea of crowdsourcing and have been thinking about how we could make it work for NARA. Projects like the one that Craig mentioned at the Australian National … Continue reading Follow-up to Our Question About Transcription

Question: What are your favorite biographical resources, online or in print?

What are your favorite sources for looking up biographies? Do you have a favorite site online, or do you swear by a particular print source? We're in the very early stages of planning a wiki for the National Archives and have recently been considering including a biography section on the site. Our tentative plan is … Continue reading Question: What are your favorite biographical resources, online or in print?