There's no question- the National Archives holds a LOT of stuff. That breadth can be a challenge to explain to new researchers and casual website visitors, whose understanding of NARA collections may be as broad as “all the records made in the U.S.” or as dismissive as “boxes and boxes of boring government paperwork.” One … Continue reading Question: We are planning to revamp our topical subject pages. What topics are missing or need more attention?
This week’s highlighted question comes from Dan in NARA’s Motion Pictures (NWCS-M) department. The unit has been looking for some time at new models for delivery of NARA’s film, video and audio holdings as it struggles with keeping the aging analog reference collection alive and well. Given limited resources, the problem requires a multi-faceted solution, … Continue reading Question: Motion Picture File Formats
We've loved reading your suggestions and comments about sharing NARA's holdings on Flickr, and it's been interesting to see which images people are marking as favorites. All of this got us wondering about which records NARA insiders are particularly fond of, so we asked a few of our experienced colleagues for their picks. This second … Continue reading NARA Staff Favorites: Online Records
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
Transcribing billions of pages of handwritten documents is no easy task. Between the effects of time on paper and ink, the vagaries of individual handwriting, and history's less-than-consistent spelling conventions, making sure historic records are intelligible (much less full-text searchable!) is easier said than done. What tools and processes do you suggest we use to … Continue reading Question: What tools and processes do you suggest we use to transcribe NARA’s billions of pages of handwritten documents quickly and efficiently?
Students and Teachers: Have you (or one of your students) used National Archives' records in a National History Day (NHD) project? What were the records, and how did they shape what you thought about your topic? In order to help students and teachers find historical materials relevant to their research, we post a list of … Continue reading Question: Have you (or one of your students) used National Archives' records in a National History Day project?
We've loved reading your suggestions and comments about sharing NARA's holdings on Flickr, and it's been interesting to see which images people are marking as favorites. All of this got us wondering about which records NARA insiders are particularly fond of, so we asked a few of our experienced colleagues for their picks. First up... … Continue reading NARA Staff Favorites: Online Records
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?
What is your favorite history-, library-, or archives-related blog? With the vast array of personal, professional, academic and commercial blogs available to readers today, it can be difficult trying to find just the right one to suit your needs. While it might be fun, who has the time to skim through 308,026 blogs? (That's the … Continue reading Question: What is your favorite history-, library-, or archives-related blog?
What groups of photographs should we post on Flickr next, and why? The NARA photostream on Flickr launched in July. So far, the pilot project includes photographs and their corresponding descriptions from the Women’s Bureau, the Environmental Protection Agency’s DOCUMERICA project, and a variety of “NARA Favorites,” plus links to each image’s ARC record. It’s … Continue reading Question: What groups of photographs should we post on Flickr next, and why?
