UpFront with NGS: National Archives

Showing posts with label National Archives. Show all posts

08 June 2015

NHPRC Awards 33 Grants for Historical Records Projects

We always like to share when NARA awards grants! Preservation and improved access benefit us al. Here is the latest news ...

Washington, DC…Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero has awarded 33 grants totaling $3,066,505 for historical records projects in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The National Archives grants program is carried out through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The complete list of new grants is available online.

Grants went to 16 documentary editing projects to publish the papers of key American figures, including Jane Addams, Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, the Civil War Governors of Kentucky, and the Presidential Recordings project ...

Read the full press release.

Full list of grants awarded.

Editor's Note: The current crop of Grant Opportunities have deadlines ranging from 17 June to 8 October 2015. Full details here. [added 1:34pm 060815]

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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21 July 2014

Newest Edition of NGS Magazine (July/Aug/Sept 2014) Available to NGS Members Now!

The July/Aug/Sept 2014 issue of the NGS Magazine (PDF 5.3MB) is now online in the Members Only section of the website.

Features

NGS awards, competitions, and recognition, by Charles S. Mason Jr., CG

NGS Hall of Fame Inductee

New Corps of Discovery: NGS 2015 Family History Conference, by Janet L Powell

No federal pension file for a Pennsylvania Revolutionary War soldier?, by Sharon Cook MacInnes, PhD

The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (and Navies), by Diane Florence Gravel, CG

Border state divided families during the Civil War, by Rebecca Rector, MLS

Rich, poor, and all the rest: Why class matters to genealogists, by Stefani Evans, CG

Black sheep ancestors and their records, by C. Ann Staley, CG, CGL

Columns
National Archives, by Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL, and Claire Prechtel-Kluskens

Reference desk, by Kathy Petlewski, MSLS

DNA basics, by Debbie Parke Wayne, CG, CGL

Technology, by Jordan Jones

Departments
President’s message, by Jordan Jones

Editor’s corner, by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CG

NGS/Genealogy news

Editor’s Note: Please note that online access to the NGS Quarterly and NGS Magazine are available only as long as your membership is active. NGS Members can access the NGS Magazine archives (2005-present).

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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02 June 2014

NARA Open Government Plan

Last week, The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) released its Open Government Plan for the next two years (2014-2016).

The new plan discusses efforts to engage the public in more than 160 external projects on more than 15 social media platforms, as well as through public events, educational programs, Research Services, and Presidential Libraries. The Flagship Initiative, “Innovate to Make Access Happen,” describes digitization, description, and online access efforts via a program to digitize analog records, expand digitization partnerships, and an updated digitization strategy.

I found the graphic on page 15 (reproduced above) very interesting. I have often wondered if I would be able to fully work as a professional genealogist until I retire (at least 10 years away) given all the digitization which has occurred creating easier access to the records I would once retrieve for clients (see editor’s note). When I look at this graphic stating that less than 2% of NARA’s textual records have been digitized (never mind indexed), I figure it will be a long time before NARA’s holdings are available digitally. I suspect that the same holds true for other archives and repositories possessing records of interest to family history researchers.

It also reminds us that one must do "on-the-ground" (vs virtual research) research to fully explore records relevant to our ancestors!

Obviously, digitization efforts are only one element of the scope of the plan.

What do you think about this plan? Is it what you expected? Does it set a benchmark for other large repositories to follow? If not, why not?

Editor’s Note: As a professional genealogist, my colleagues and I do more than records retrieval, and this post is only focusing on this one component of what we do.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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26 August 2011

National Association of Government Archivists and Records Administrators and the Council of State Archivists Annual Meeting -- Learn the challenges faces by archives and what they are doing in response!

Though most genealogists are not professional archivists, we do maintain our own archives and also have a great interest in any archives or repository where original records can be found.

An annual meeting held relevant to archivists is the “National Association of Government Archivists and Records Administrators and the Council of State Archivists Annual Meeting.” The most recent one was held in July of this year. Just by reading the program, you learn a lot about the issues facing archivists, new technologies on the rise and so much more.

Some of the sessions have materials available online:

C-3: Cloud Computing and More: A NARA Revue

C-10: A Better Mousetrap: Marketing Records Management in a Budget-Cutting World

C-14: The Way We Were: The 1940 Census (1)
C-14: The Way We Were: The 1940 Census (2)

C-16: The Sound of Silence: Why Are Permanent E-Records Not Accessioned by State and Local Archives? (1)
C-16: The Sound of Silence: Why Are Permanent E-Records Not Accessioned by State and Local Archives? (2)
C-16: The Sound of Silence: Why Are Permanent E-Records Not Accessioned by State and Local Archives? (3)
C-16: The Sound of Silence: Why Are Permanent E-Records Not Accessioned by State and Local Archives? (4)
C-16: The Sound of Silence: Why Are Permanent E-Records Not Accessioned by State and Local Archives? (5)
C-16: The Sound of Silence: Why Are Permanent E-Records Not Accessioned by State and Local Archives? (6)

Additionally the NARA blog posted a follow-up talking about a session on the 1940 census (mentioned above) and the bottom of that post lists several resources you might want to check out regarding the soon-to-be-released 1940 census.

Editor’s Note: If you haven’t read yesterdays UpFront with NGS post, also on the 1940 census, do check it out.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com.

20 October 2009

NARA Seeks to Shrink Research Space and Services in D.C.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has proposed some major changes that will significantly reduce the space and services available to researchers who wish to use NARA records in Washington, D.C. Specifically, the proposal is to relocate the Finding Aids/ Consultants to a smaller, open space within the library, reduce the number of microfilm readers, and replace self-serve microfilm access with a "pull on demand" process that requires staff to retrieve each film as someone requests it.

In addition, the space of the research facility will shrink as the microfilm reading room will be moved to the old Finding Aids/Consultants room, and other spaces are eliminated, including the Military Services Research Room and the Lecture Room. Click on the picture on the left to enlarge the floor plan showing the affected areas.

Marie Varrelman Melchiori, CG, CGL, Coordinator of the Archives 1 User's Group, noted that the areas lost to researchers would be used to expand the exhibition area and shops that are part of private sector partners of NARA, the Center for the National Archives Experience (NWE) and The Foundation for the National Archives. The User’s Group is seeking support from the genealogy community to protest these losses to the public and to publicly discuss alternatives. Marie also noted that some of these changes may be acted upon even before the 2011 budget dollars are allocated to the plan.

If you are concerned about this issue, below is a list of contacts to whom you can express your concern. Following the contact list is a form letter that you can use as a starting point for your own letter.

Contacts:

Acting Archivist:

Ms. Adrienne C. Thomas
Acting Archivist
The National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

The nominee for the position of Archivist. Since the nominee has yet to be confirmed, you may want to write him at his present position in New York as well as at the National Archives:

Mr. David S. Ferriero
Andrew W. Mellon Director of The New York Public Libraries
Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018

Mr. David S. Ferriero
Archivist Nominee
The National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

The Senators responsible for Mr. Ferriero's confirmation hearings:

The Honorable Thomas Carper
United States Senate
513 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510
http://carper.senate.gov/contact/

The Honorable John McCain
United States Senate
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0303
http://mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

Members of Congress who have previously demonstrated a strong interest in the affairs of the National Archives:

The Honorable Richard Durbin
United States Senate
309 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm

The Honorable José E. Serrano
United States House of Representatives
2227 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3216
http://serrano.house.gov/Forms/Contact.aspx

Your personal congressional representatives.

Form Letter:

As member of the [insert your organization name], I am a researcher who uses National Archives records. I am very concerned about proposed construction plans to reconfigure the ground (first) floor of the National Archives building. This will dramatically reduce the Robert M. Warner Research Center in ways that will significantly--and negatively--impact researchers as follows:

The Finding Aids Room (Consultants' Office) is to be moved from its current room, which provides adequate space for staff, researchers, and necessary finding aids to textual (un-filmed) records, to a small open area in the library which will not provide adequate working space or privacy.

The Microfilm Reading Room will be moved to a drastically smaller space (the current Finding Aids Room) with significantly fewer microfilm readers. We recognize that the number of researchers using the microfilm area has diminished over the past few years, but there is still a demand to use microfilm. We suggest a room containing at least 30 readers, which would be approximately half the current number.

Direct researcher access to microfilm collections will be eliminated and replaced with a "pull on demand" system. We believe it is unworkable, and result in much wasted researcher time by requiring researchers to request individual rolls of microfilm, and then wait for a staff member to retrieve it from a stack area deep within the building. No one has been able to tell us where the microfilm will be stored or how long it will take to retrieve it.

The Lecture Room will be eliminated. No one has been able to tell us where a New Lecture Room would be. This room is used frequently for NARA public programs (genealogy lectures, etc.) as well as internal NARA meetings.

The Orientation and Registration area would be eliminated. This is currently used for researcher registration, to issue researcher identification cards, and for researcher consultations with staff members and volunteers, and for researcher access to computers. No one has been able to tell us where these functions would be moved.

NARA proposes a five-phase operation with the first phase being the move of the Finding Aids (Consultants' Office) the Library area starting in the very near future. There is no indication that the finding aids, so vital to textual research, will be in close proximity to the consultant area. The second phase would be the move of the microfilm reading room.

Those areas, once vacated, will be taken over by Center for the National Archives Experience (NWE) and The Foundation for the National Archives to expand their museum and shops.

I would like a dedicated (i.e., single use) Finding Aids Room to continue and to maintain the existing manner of direct researcher access (self-pull) to microfilm.

I would like to request that there be an open disclosure and a public discussion of these plans. There does not appear to be any attempt to incorporate the open area in the Research Center Lobby.

Thank you for your consideration.