Today we've released our Open Government Plan (PDF) on our website. We developed this plan with your thoughtful ideas and now we're asking for your help again. Read our plan and let us know what we need to improve and your ideas for how we can implement the plan. Visit our Open Government Idea Forum … Continue reading A Work in Progress: Our Open Government Plan
Category: Digitization
DC-area Researchers – Agenda for the Researcher Meeting on March 19th at Archives II
Please join us for our monthly researcher meeting on Friday, March 19th, at 1 PM in the auditorium at Archives II in College Park. Jim Hastings, the Director of Access Programs, and Diane Dimkoff, the Director of the Customer Services Division, will be on hand to discuss the following questions and topics: 1. Digitization a. … Continue reading DC-area Researchers – Agenda for the Researcher Meeting on March 19th at Archives II
NARA and the 2010 Census
This guest blog post was written by Paul Wester, head of the Modern Records Programs at NARA. Portions of the genealogical community are under the impression that the 2010 Decennial Census forms will not be preserved by the NARA. This impression is mistaken. NARA has not officially received and registered a proposed records retention schedule … Continue reading NARA and the 2010 Census
Question: What are some good examples of interactive historical timelines on the Web?
The internet provides lots of great tools and services to help genealogists and historians understand the evolution of relationships and events over time. From teachers to big corporations, researchers at all levels can benefit from these innovative new tools, one of the most effective of which is the interactive map or timeline. One example of … Continue reading Question: What are some good examples of interactive historical timelines on the Web?
Tech Tuesdays
Thanks to your great feedback on our recent Family Tree Fridays and NARA Staff Favorite posts, we're considering introducing another specialized series here on NARAtions. This new set of posts, called Tech Tuesdays, would allow us to start a discussion about the cutting-edge technologies that are being developed across the archives field (a topic we're … Continue reading Tech Tuesdays
Question: Motion Picture File Formats
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
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 tools and processes do you suggest we use to transcribe NARA’s billions of pages of handwritten documents quickly and efficiently?
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?
Question: Have you (or one of your students) used National Archives' records in a National History Day project?
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?
Question: How would you like to see ordering copies of archival records work?
As much as we love to sit in NARA's research rooms and experience the look and feel of original records, it's just not always convenient (or possible) to take a cross-country trip in the name of research. In those cases, the next best thing is to order reproductions, either through mail-order forms or online. Readers … Continue reading Question: How would you like to see ordering copies of archival records work?