May 18th Citizen Archivist Program

If you are anything like me, you would love to volunteer more, but you don't feel you have enough time to make a commitment. Luckily, these days, anyone with a computer and internet access can easily participate in online volunteer projects. An upcoming public program at the National Archives will look at three projects where … Continue reading May 18th Citizen Archivist Program

National Archives' First Wikipedian in Residence: This article is a stub.

Have you ever landed on a Wikipedia page containing just the beginnings of an article, waiting to be filled in with valuable content? In Wikipedia parlance, these are stubs; skeleton pages set up with the basic outline of a topic which subject matter experts can work together to build into full encyclopedia articles. We see … Continue reading National Archives' First Wikipedian in Residence: This article is a stub.

This is not your father’s history.

This post was written by guest blogger David McMillen, External Affairs Liaison in the Department of Strategy and Communications. Conventional wisdom is that the appraisal process for electronic records is the same as for paper. Richard Pearce-Moses made that statement in his 2006 Presidential Address to the joint meeting of Archivists in DC. Randall Jimerson quoted him … Continue reading This is not your father’s history.

Agenda for the DC-Area Researchers Meeting on February 18th

Have you marked your calendar to join us for the next DC-area Researchers Group meeting on Friday, February 18th?  We will meet at 1 PM in room G-24 of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. The agenda includes: 1. A discussion of NARA's Transformation Plan (read more on the Archivist's blog) 2. An update … Continue reading Agenda for the DC-Area Researchers Meeting on February 18th

FEMA Photographs Now Online

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States, displacing thousands of residents and causing billions of dollars in damage. Less than a month later Hurricane Rita caused further damage when it made landfall in Texas and Louisiana.  Pictures from these storms and others are captured in over … Continue reading FEMA Photographs Now Online

Online Public Access is now available!

The National Archives’ new search interface is now available! Check out Online Public Access at www.archives.gov/research/search! The National Archives’ flagship initiative in our Open Government plan is to develop online services to meet the 21st century needs of the public. Toward that end we have revamped our website, including taking a new look at how … Continue reading Online Public Access is now available!

Minutes from the November 19th DC-area Researcher Meeting

The minutes from the meeting on November 19th are posted below. The minutes will be posted on the web after the new redesign of Archives.gov is launched next week. Handouts Agenda The Text Message -- The Blog of the Textual Archives Services Division at Archives II I. Welcome Director, Access Programs Susan Cummings welcomed everyone … Continue reading Minutes from the November 19th DC-area Researcher Meeting

Retracing President Lincoln’s 12-day journey to Washington: shortening the journey of his digital records to Illinois

After winning the 1860 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln left his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, on a 12-day journey to Washington. With the help of our technology research partners in Illinois, it takes just a few seconds to send huge volumes of electronic copies of his records back to Lincoln's Presidential Library.

"What Are You Working On, Dan Rooney?"

Ever wonder what exciting new projects the many employees at NARA are working on? The “What are You Working On?” blog feature aims to introduce a variety of NARA employees and highlight some of the exciting projects we are working on around the agency. Check for this blog series on Wednesdays! This week, we introduce … Continue reading "What Are You Working On, Dan Rooney?"

World War II Escape and Evasion Reports are now available online

On December 12, 1942, 2nd Lt. Jack E. Williams and his crew were flying over the coast of France when, according to his report, “We hit the ground; that is, made a crash landing, at 12:40, after having been violently attacked by fighters.” The actions of Williams and his crewmates following the crash are documented … Continue reading World War II Escape and Evasion Reports are now available online