DC-Area Researcher Forum to be held on May 18

We hope that you will be able to join us for the next meeting of the National Archives Researcher Forum.  It will be held on Friday, May 18, at 1:00 p.m. in G-25, the new classroom in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC (Archives I).  NARA’s digitization partners will return for continued discussion of … Continue reading DC-Area Researcher Forum to be held on May 18

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

This post was written by guest blogger David McMillen, External Affairs Liaison in the Department of Strategy and Communications. Phillip Dick’s 1974 novel with this title is one of best treatments of the blurring line between man and machine. You may know it from the film based on the novel, Blade Runner. When machines are indistinguishable from … Continue reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

National Archives Digitization Tools Now on GitHub

As part of our open government initiatives, the National Archives has begun to share applications developed in-house on GitHub, a social coding platform.  GitHub is a service used by software developers to share and collaborate on software development projects and many open source development projects. Over the last year and a half, our Digitization Services … Continue reading National Archives Digitization Tools Now on GitHub

Connect with Us on iTunes U

The National Archives just joined iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store giving users public access to thousands of free lectures, videos, books and podcasts from learning institutions all over the world.  If you already have iTunes on your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or computer, you can search for "National Archives" on iTunes U to … Continue reading Connect with Us on iTunes U

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.

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

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

Tech Tuesday: Applied Research puts NARA "Out in Front" at NAGARA

At the NAGARA plenary address in Nashville a few weeks ago, I was asked to talk about NARA’s new Applied Research Division, which wandered into an explanation about why we haven’t been ERA Research for the past two years. Folks were encouraged to attend my 1940 Census session, featuring NARA research partners who are using cool smart tools to make sense out of scanned images—there was not an empty chair in the room, leading to fruitful discussions and promising collaborations…and that’s what you missed at NAGARA! Read the full story here...

"What Are You Working On, Robert Gaugler?" Volunteer Edition!

In early December, the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, awarded Weidman Outstanding Volunteer Service Awards to three National Archives volunteers.  Robert Gaugler was honored for his leadership of volunteer projects to make America's military records more accessible. What’s your name and where do you volunteer at NARA? My name is Bob Gaugler, and … Continue reading "What Are You Working On, Robert Gaugler?" Volunteer Edition!