President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation establishing the National Archives as an independent agency on June 19, 1934, which is our agency's official "birthday." But, we also celebrate April 1, 1985, as our "other birthday." Why? Read on. Although the National Archives was created as an independent agency, Congress transferred it to the newly created General … Continue reading Happy “Other” Birthday, National Archives!
In honor of Women's History Month, I want to celebrate one of our most cherished former employees—Sara Dunlap Jackson. After I was appointed Historian, numerous local historians approached me to say that I just had to research Sara Dunlap Jackson because she was so important to the history of the agency. Archivist Sara Jackson, 1955. … Continue reading Sara Dunlap Jackson: Archivist Extraordinaire
What a year! Here's some of the highlights of the last 12 months of the National Archives that we shared on our blog. Thanks for reading in 2014--we'll see you in 2015 with more pieces of history! The National Archives turned 80 The Historian of the National Archives, Jessie Kratz, shared the stories of an agency … Continue reading A look back at 2014
We're excited to participate in #AskAnArchivist on October 30! Archivists from our locations across the nation are ready to answer your questions on Twitter tomorrow. We have archivists that concentrate on the history of the National Archives, work with audiovisual materials, declassify documents, textual reference, Presidential materials and more. This is your chance to find … Continue reading It’s time to #AskAnArchivist
Join us on Thursday, April 3, from 9:30 to 4 pm at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC for an all-day Archives Fair! Enter through the Special Events Entrance on 7th St. and Constitution Ave. The DC Caucus of MARAC and the National Archives Assembly are co-hosting this all-day Archives Fair. Archives-related groups and … Continue reading Come to the Archives Fair on April 3!
Wow--what a year! Our editorial panel tried to limit this list to ten, but eventually we gave up and picked 14 instead. (For more great National Archives moments, check on out the Top 10 Innovative Moments of 2013.) We also want to send a big thank you to the staff members of the National Archives across … Continue reading Top 14 Moments at the National Archives in 2013
We continue with celebrating American Archives Month by showcasing some of our amazing archivists in the Presidential Libraries. This post takes continues our journey through the heartlands of America: Abilene, KS. Name: Valoise Armstrong Occupation: Archivist at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum How long have you worked at this library? After working for … Continue reading American Archives Month: Valoise Armstrong, Eisenhower Presidential Library
Today’s post comes from Sara Holmes, supervisory preservation specialist at the National Archives in St. Louis. Just before 9 a.m. on the morning of July 16, 1973, the fire that had raged over five days was declared out. The firemen’s command post was taken down; engines cleared the scene; and 9700 Page Avenue—home of the … Continue reading After the fire: Peter Waters helps save water-damaged records
Today’s post comes from Sara Holmes, supervisory preservation specialist at the National Archives in St. Louis. (The images below are from the National Archives at St. Louis, with a special thank you to Capt. Dave Dubowski of the Spanish Lake Fire Department and the late Chief Bob Palmer of Mehlville Fire Department.) What happened after … Continue reading One fire, 5 days, and 381 men
Today's post comes from Alan Walker, archivist at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. In my reflective moments, I think about what has kept me here at the National Archives for all this time. It couldn’t be the bone-wearying monotony of shuffling heavy cartons of records from here to there, or the tedium of … Continue reading Keeping It All Together: Paper Fasteners at the National Archives
