by guest blogger: Trevor Plante, Chief of Archives I Reference, National Archives in Washington, DC In late September 2011, the first phase of construction will begin in the ground floor research area of the National Archives Building. This will result in the temporary relocation of the Finding Aids Room and Consultation staff to the Pension … Continue reading The Temporary Move of the Finding Aids Room at the National Archives Building
Updated Responses to Questions about the Robert M. Warner Research Center Reconfiguration Project
Presenters at the Researcher Forum meeting on August 18 responded to several questions about the Archives I Reconfiguration Project during the Q & A portion of the program, which they promised to look into further and supplement as follows. Availability of Print and Online Versions of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set NARA purchased the Digital … Continue reading Updated Responses to Questions about the Robert M. Warner Research Center Reconfiguration Project
NARA Coast to Coast: WWII Homefront and Chicago Radio
Today's post is written by Katie Dishman, of the National Archives at Chicago. September 2 is not necessarily a day which will live in infamy; nevertheless it is significant in world history marking the formal end of World War II in 1945 when Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender on the USS Missouri. While the … Continue reading NARA Coast to Coast: WWII Homefront and Chicago Radio
Remembering 9/11: Photos from the George W. Bush Presidential Library Now Available on Flickr
This Sunday will mark the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As we remember the events of that day, the George W. Bush Presidential Library has posted more than 150 photos from their collection on Flickr. The photos from September and October 2001 offer a glimpse into the world of President Bush … Continue reading Remembering 9/11: Photos from the George W. Bush Presidential Library Now Available on Flickr
Archives 360°: “Keeping Humans in the Loop” in Chicago
Founded in 1936, the Society of American Archivists (SAA) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. During the week of August 22, almost 1,800 archives professionals from all over the globe gathered in Chicago, Illinois for SAA’s annual meeting and anniversary celebration. Today's blog features my introductory remarks for SAA session #701 that I chaired, "New Perspectives for the 1940 Census" providing a quick history of innovative technologies used for processing and accessing census data.
How Can We Improve the Researcher Application Form?
Have you conducted research at the National Archives? If so, you probably remember filling out this researcher application form. We use this form as both a security measure to protect the records, as well as to better understand your research interests and goals. We’ve made some updates to the form, and we’re looking for your feedback to … Continue reading How Can We Improve the Researcher Application Form?
Changing Our Perspective: Looking at Our Quality Efforts from the Outside In
The following is a guest post by Kate Murray, Digitization Process Development Specialist at the National Archives. Recently I had what I can only describe as a Eureka moment. I was attending an informal presentation by Hans Westerhoff describing the Images for the Future project in the Netherlands. He said one of the most … Continue reading Changing Our Perspective: Looking at Our Quality Efforts from the Outside In
Family Tree Friday: Online RIPs for Military and Civilian records
The more we interact with the public, whether at national conferences or NARA-sponsored events such at the annual Genealogy Fair, the more we hear how much researchers would like to see our finding aids available online. Well, this seems like a good opportunity to point out that two of our most popular genealogy Reference Information … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Online RIPs for Military and Civilian records
DC Area Researcher Forum to be Held on September 16
We hope that you will be able to join us for the next meeting of the Researcher Users Group—now named the National Archives Researcher Forum, to be led by Jen Nelson, Acting Executive for Research Services. It will be held on Friday, September 16, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 105 at Archives I. There are … Continue reading DC Area Researcher Forum to be Held on September 16
Online catalog now links to Wikimedia resources
A few weeks ago on The Text Message, I introduced Wikimedia's Wikisource project to you. A sister project of Wikipedia, Wikisource is a free repository of primary-source texts which are transcribed, proofread, and arranged—like Wikipedia—collaboratively by a community of online volunteers. It is my pleasure to announce that, since August 15, Wikimedia's presence now extends … Continue reading Online catalog now links to Wikimedia resources