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

Mathew Brady Photos on Flickr

This afternoon we posted the first batch of Mathew Brady Civil War photographs on our Flickr photostream.  These are at a higher resolution (300 dpi) than they are  elsewhere online.  We are planning to post all 6,066. If looking at this selection sparks your curiosity, browse or search among all 6,000 now in the Archival … Continue reading Mathew Brady Photos on Flickr

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: What groups of photographs should we post on Flickr next, and why?

What groups of photographs should we post on Flickr next, and why? The NARA photostream on Flickr launched in July. So far, the pilot project includes photographs and their corresponding descriptions from the Women’s Bureau, the Environmental Protection Agency’s DOCUMERICA project, and a variety of “NARA Favorites,” plus links to each image’s ARC record. It’s … Continue reading Question: What groups of photographs should we post on Flickr next, and why?

Question: If you could personalize your experience of NARA’s research Web pages and online catalog with a customized user account, what features would it include and how would they help you?

If you could personalize your experience of NARA’s research Web pages and online catalog with a customized user account, what features would it include and how would they help you? Our latest ARC update included a new feature called “My List,” which allows users to temporarily collect, print and email descriptions. These lists can be … Continue reading Question: If you could personalize your experience of NARA’s research Web pages and online catalog with a customized user account, what features would it include and how would they help you?

Question: Should we allow the public to tag descriptions in our online catalog? Why or why not?

NARA is in the very early phases of designing its next generation online catalog.  Should we allow the public to tag catalog descriptions?  Why or why not? Our current online catalog, the Archival Research Catalog (ARC), does not allow for tagging.  Staff archivists can add subject terms from our authority list of approved subject headings (based on … Continue reading Question: Should we allow the public to tag descriptions in our online catalog? Why or why not?