If you can think all the way back to January, you may remember NARAtions starting a new weekly blog series called Tech Tuesdays that would highlight exciting new developments and cutting edge technologies being introduced into the archives field. While NARA is traditionally concerned with history, we must look to these new ideas and tools to ensure the preservation of today’s records, especially as technological innovation blazes forward and cultural institutions, like NARA, keep pace. Despite our best efforts, Tech Tuesdays took a back seat to some of our other series…until now. For this new reincarnation of Tech Tuesdays, we introduce NCAST, or the National Archives Center for Advanced Systems and Technologies!
So who is NCAST, and why do they have the inside scoop on tekkie tools that will improve archival work?
Established in 2009, NCAST is a work unit within NARA that partners with other offices to research emerging technologies, explore the application of these new technologies into everyday work at NARA, and then promote these technologies agency-wide. As the National Archives’ lead technology organization for advanced and applied research, NCAST focuses on the fields of computer science, engineering, and archival science for their tekkie insights. Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, has great things to say about NCAST too:
Look to future Tech Tuesday posts by NCAST to talk about some of their exciting partnerships (like their partnership with the Electronic Records Archives, or ERA, Research Program), to share information and resources, and to fill you in on the latest tools and technologies (data visualization is coming up soon!). To learn even more about NCAST, stop by one of their presentations or special events in the Washington DC area.
Join us in welcoming NCAST’s Rita Cacas, Mark Conrad, and Fynette Eaton as NARAtions’ Tech Tuesday bloggers, and check out everything NCAST is researching about the latest technologies and tools!