October is American Archives Month and today is Electronic Records Day! We’re celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts about the electronic records. Today’s post comes from Sam McClure, Electronic Records Program Officer in the Office of the Archivist. With more than 12 billion pages of textual materials, … Continue reading The Challenges of Electronic Records
Today's post was originally published in Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives in the Winter 2011 issue (Vol. 43, no. 4). While Chicago Burned Records of an Obscure Court Case Yield New Details on the 1871 Fire By Ann Patricia Duffy When the fire brigade's general alarm bells sounded on the night of October 8, 1871, … Continue reading While Chicago Burned
October is American Archives Month! We’re celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts about the electronic records. The National Archives has long been tackling the issue of electronic records. In the early 1960s, while looking at some Census Bureau magnetic tapes, Meyer Fishbein, then a member … Continue reading A Pioneer in Electronic Records
October is American Archives Month to raise awareness about the value of archives and archivists! The National Archives is celebrating American Archives Month with a variety of activities. October 5 on Twitter is #AskAnArchivist Day when staff from across the nation, including our Presidential Libraries, answer questions and talk about what it’s like to be an … Continue reading The National Archives Celebrates American Archives Month
On June 8, 1789, less than one year after the U.S. Constitution was ratified, Representative James Madison of Virginia proposed several amendments to the document. The amendments were to be interwoven into the text and were, for the most part, selectively taken from the amendments proposed by the states. They also mostly related to protecting civil … Continue reading The Bill of Rights Goes to the States
As we celebrate the 229th birthday of the Constitution, the mini, pocket edition has made a comeback. After Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, waved his pocket Constitution during his speech at the Democratic National Convention, sales have soared and pocket Constitutions are flying off the shelves. I use my pocket … Continue reading The “Pocket Constitution” makes a comeback
Today’s post comes from Sonia Kahn in the National Archives History Office. It is part six of a series on the history behind some of the seized foreign records housed at the National Archives. During and immediately following World War II, Allied governments aggressively sought Nazi diplomatic papers. The Allies would use these documents not … Continue reading The German Foreign Ministry Archive
Today’s post comes from Andrew Grafton in the National Archives History Office October 2001, Washington, DC. The United States has recently been attacked by terrorists intent on killing American citizens and striking a blow against U.S. morale in the fight against terror. Millions are afraid that a further attack is imminent. The public is adamant … Continue reading On Exhibit: The Patriot Act
Today’s post comes from Sonia Kahn in the National Archives History Office. It is part five of a series on the history of some of the seized foreign records housed at the National Archives. Unlike the very systematic seizure and filming of German records, the acquisition of many of the Italian records that made their … Continue reading The Personal Files of Benito Mussolini
Today’s post comes from Sonia Kahn in the National Archives History Office. Today the National Archives Building is a recognizable edifice on Pennsylvania Avenue, but it has not always stood on that site in the nation’s capital. Eighty-five years ago, ground was broken to begin construction on the structure that would house our nation’s records. … Continue reading Breaking Ground: From Market Stalls to the National Archives Building
