The following is a guest post from Susan Cummings, Director of Access Programs. At the last couple of Researcher Users Group meetings we discussed the need for NARA to periodically move records out of Archives I and II to make room for new accessions to be processed by the DC area staff. Subsequently, we posted for … Continue reading On the Move: An Update on Records Being Sent to Off-site Storage from the DC-area
Records Management and E-discovery: Making Beautiful Music
My bottom line: I want to believe the next generation of public servants will do right by the American people by managing and preserving the government’s born-digital records, and providing the means for continuing access to them, so as to ensure that the history of the 21st century is properly preserved.
Family Tree Friday: The 1940 Census
Today's Family Tree Friday is brought to you by Constance Potter, Archivist in the Archives I Research Support Branch. The 1940 census opens on April 2, 2012. For the first time, the census will be released digitally, not on microfilm. As with other censuses, this one reflects the previous decade of the 1930s and the … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: The 1940 Census
"What Are You Working On, Tina Ligon?"
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, Tina Ligon?"
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.
ISO Standards for Certifying Trustworthy Digital Repositories
NARA has a long history of involvement with the development of international standard related to electronic records and other digital information. Claims of trustworthiness are easy to make but are thus far difficult to justify or objectively prove. Establishing more clear criteria detailing what a trustworthy repository is and is not has become vital.
Family Tree Friday: How to make sense out of a Civil War pension file…with some online help!
Have you ever looked at a Civil War pension file and wondered, what does this all REALLY mean? More specifically, have you ever tried to figure out what each document or slip of paper actually was, where it came from, and what relevance it had to the file as a whole? Believe it or not, … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: How to make sense out of a Civil War pension file…with some online help!
Read a good book lately?
This post was written by guest blogger David McMillen, External Affairs Liaison in the Department of Strategy and Communications. I want to invite you to join me in Alexandria, VA in May to hear Randall Jimerson speak. He is the keynote speaker at the spring Mid-American Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), and he is a voice to be … Continue reading Read a good book lately?
Family Tree Friday: Immigration Records in AAD
A couple of weeks ago John wrote about the 20th century military records available on our website through Access to Archival Databases (AAD). Today, I want to talk about the immigration records that you can find in AAD. In the late 1970s, the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies began compiling data from nineteenth century passenger … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Immigration Records in AAD
Minutes from the February 18th DC-area Researchers Meeting are now available
The minutes from the Researcher Users’ Group meeting on February 18th (PDF) are now available on the Archives.gov page for the Researcher Users Group at the National Archives in the Washington, DC Area. Topics covered in the meeting included: - NARA's Transformation Plan - The 1940 Census - An update on the Archives I renovation … Continue reading Minutes from the February 18th DC-area Researchers Meeting are now available