It happens to all of us. You follow one lead after another, following a thread of information that seems to link your months, or even years, of research together. Then, suddenly, the thread is gone. What do you do then? For many, this is a dead-end; all that time spent working on a topic has … Continue reading Question: What’s the biggest dead-end you ever hit in your research where you suddenly, unexpectedly found a way forward?
Category: Online Research
Question: Do you have a favorite NARA photograph or document? Is it already available in our catalog or on our website?
One of the most requested photographs at the U.S. National Archives is an iconic photo of President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley meeting at the White House in 1970. Recently, this photograph has become more available to the public on our online research catalog, ARC, as well as through our photostream on Flickr.com. Now anyone … Continue reading Question: Do you have a favorite NARA photograph or document? Is it already available in our catalog or on our website?
NARA Staff Favorites: Online Records
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 week’s … Continue reading NARA Staff Favorites: Online Records
Question: We are planning to revamp our topical subject pages. What topics are missing or need more attention?
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?
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?
NARA Staff Favorites: Online Records
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
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?