Help Shape the Future of the National Archives Catalog

The National Archives Catalog is going through some exciting changes! We need your help to make sure these changes are on the right track. We are looking for feedback from interested Catalog users of all levels to help us create the Next Generation Catalog. Also we are seeking users and developers for input on the … Continue reading Help Shape the Future of the National Archives Catalog

Introducing the Presidential Library Explorer

Today's post comes from Jason Clingerman, Acting Director of the Digital Engagement Division at the National Archives. Last fall, NARA launched the Record Group Explorer (previous blog post here), NARA’s first next-generation finding aid. I am pleased to announce today that we’ve launched the Presidential Library Explorer - NARA’s second next-generation finding aid, defined as … Continue reading Introducing the Presidential Library Explorer

NARA’s Record Group Explorer: A New Path into NARA’s Holdings

This post was written by Pamela Wright, Chief Innovation Officer. With billions of pages of records, there’s no question that the holdings of the National Archives are vast. The breadth can be intimidating to researchers and online users, especially first-time users, who may not have familiarity with the organization and management of archival material. One … Continue reading NARA’s Record Group Explorer: A New Path into NARA’s Holdings

New Search Feature: Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

This post is from the September 5th issue of the National Archives Catalog Newsletter. With more than 92 million pages of digitized records available to search in the National Archives Catalog, we are always working on ways to improve search results to better help you find what you’re looking for. That’s why we’re excited to … Continue reading New Search Feature: Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Refine Your Search by Record Group or Collection

Today’s post comes from Suzanne Isaacs, Community Manager, National Archives Catalog Researcher Reviewing Records, 3/1968 National Archives Identifier  23855361 If you’ve ever searched in the Catalog, you’re probably familiar with the refinements available with your search results in the left margin, e.g. Refine by Level of Description, Refine by Type of Materials, or Refine by … Continue reading Refine Your Search by Record Group or Collection

Transcriptions Reveal Life in the Trenches

If you are familiar with our Citizen Archivist program, you know that we encourage online volunteers to transcribe digitized historical records held in the National Archives Catalog. We often say that these transcriptions help unlock history by improving search results, readability, and access to historical records. So how exactly are your contributions unlocking history? A … Continue reading Transcriptions Reveal Life in the Trenches

Become a Wiki Scholar! Work with records from the National Archives to expand coverage of women’s suffrage in the United States in Wikipedia

Today’s post comes from Pamela Wright, Chief Innovation Officer. At the National Archives, we are continually seeking new ways to share the wealth of history in our physical and digital holdings. Initiatives like our Citizen Archivist Dashboard create new opportunities and avenues for the public to engage with our records. We also take the heart … Continue reading Become a Wiki Scholar! Work with records from the National Archives to expand coverage of women’s suffrage in the United States in Wikipedia

What’s in a Name?

We are all unique, but for most of us, our names are not. The same is true for authors, actors, and even major or minor historical figures who share the same or similar names. So how do libraries, archives and museums collocate the right name to the right item or collection? The answer is authority … Continue reading What’s in a Name?

Still from "A Step Saving Kitchen," GIF, showing a woman stirring a bowl, with an overlaid play button and video status bar.

‘Tis the Season for #ArchivesGIFgiving

It’s almost time for the December Archives Hashtag Party on Friday, December 14! Pour yourself some eggnog and get in the festive mood with #ArchivesGIFgiving. In the spirit of the season, we’ll  be “giving” GIFs to other GLAM institutions. We hope you’ll share a GIF from your holdings, tag a fellow organization with a GIF … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season for #ArchivesGIFgiving