Today's guest blog is from Trevor Plante, Chief of Archives I Reference, National Archives in Washington, DC In late September 2011, the first phase of construction began in the ground floor research area of the National Archives Building. The construction resulted in the temporary relocation of the Finding Aids Room and Consultation staff to the … Continue reading The move of the Finding Aids Room at the National Archives Building
Document Your Environment Contest Winners!
Back in November, the National Archives, with the help of the Environmental Protection Agency, launched a new contest that asked students to create something inspired by one of our Documerica photos. This contest, Document Your Environment, brought in so many creative interpretations of the original 1970s photos! From videos to paintings and Photoshop creations to … Continue reading Document Your Environment Contest Winners!
Making the Right Connections (Part II): At the Heart of the Internet
Our hiatus is over, and we cheerfully bring you the next installation of our TechTuesday blog post, “Making the Right Connections.” At our last offering, we highlighted the contributions of Dr. George Strawn, former CIO for the National Science Foundation (NSF) – now on a special assignment as Director of the Executive Office of the President’s Networking and Information Technology Research & Development (NITRD) Program. In our follow up interview with Dr. Strawn in December, we focused on his main charge to lead a NITRD initiative to move government information into the clouds. And at a special event this Valentine’s week, we celebrate another anniversary that includes Dr. Strawn, so keep reading!
New Digital Scanner/Copier FAQs
ARCHIVES I and ARCHIVES II research rooms will shortly be getting new self-service digital scanner/copiers and a new copy card system. What kind of scanner/copiers have been purchased? The scanner/copiers are the Sharp Model MX-M363, modified to use platen covers in place of document feeders, which are not permitted in copying original records. The paper … Continue reading New Digital Scanner/Copier FAQs
Tag It Tuesday! Tuskegee Airmen
You've probably heard that "Red Tails," a movie spotlighting the first African American military aviators, is now showing at a theater near you. Widely known as the Tuskegee Airmen, the pilots were part of the U.S. Army Air Corps' 332nd Fighter and 477th Bombardment Groups. But you don't have to go to the movies … Continue reading Tag It Tuesday! Tuskegee Airmen
DC-Area Researcher Forum Notes Available from January 27 Meeting
Researchers are invited to read the notes of the Researcher Forum meeting held on January 27, 2012, which are posted to the DC-area Researcher Forum web page, http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/researcher-forum/. The main feature of the meeting was a demonstration of the newly launched Citizen Archivist Dashboard by Pamela Wright (NARA Chief Digital Access Strategist) and Meredith Stewart (NARA Open … Continue reading DC-Area Researcher Forum Notes Available from January 27 Meeting
Pardon Our Dust…And Our Noise
This post was written by guest blogger Diane Dimkoff, Director of Customer Services On Friday evening February 17 and Saturday February 18, the National Archives will be converting to a new copy card system and also replacing most of its self-service copiers. Contractors will be connecting and then testing equipment to make sure all is functioning properly on … Continue reading Pardon Our Dust…And Our Noise
Family Tree Friday: Interesting facts about the 1940 Census
Here is another entry from guest blogger Diane Petro, Archives Technician in the Archives I Research Support Branch (RD-DC), Research Services, Archival Operations – Washington, DC. Diane helps staff the research rooms at the National Archives Building and has also been working on reference activities relating to the upcoming 1940 Census release. Time is moving … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Interesting facts about the 1940 Census
Yes, Wikipedians Scan
David Ferriero's recent post over on the AOTUS blog made mention of NARA's Wikipedia ExtravaSCANza in the context of a discussion of the "Yes We Scan" initiative and a broader digitization strategy. I want to take the opportunity to recap the citizen archivist scanning the National Archives has been hosting for Wikipedians in recent months. … Continue reading Yes, Wikipedians Scan
Introducing the National Archives Transcription Pilot Project!
As part of the recently launched Citizen Archivist Dashboard, you can now participate in the National Archives Transcription Pilot Project. By contributing to transcriptions, you can make these historical documents more accessible to the public. The transcription pilot features over 300 documents (about 1,000 pages) ranging from the late 18th century through the 20th century. … Continue reading Introducing the National Archives Transcription Pilot Project!