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National Archives (building)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The National Archives building Constitution Avenue facade
The National Archives building Constitution Avenue facade
Location:Constitution Ave. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of between 7th and 9th Sts. , NW
Washington, D.C.
Architect:John Russell Pope
Added to NRHP:May 27, 1971
NRHP Reference#:71001004

The United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D John Russell Pope ( April_24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an architect most known for his designs of the Jefferson Memorial The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Independent agencies of the United States government are those that exist outside of the departments of the Executive branch. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. It is also charged with increasing public access to those documents. NARA is officially responsible for maintaining and publishing the legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential proclamations and executive orders, and federal regulations. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses A proclamation (Lat proclamare, to make public by announcement is an official declaration executive order in the United States is a Directive issued by the President, the head of the executive branch of the federal government The chief administrator of NARA, the Archivist of the United States, not only maintains the official documentation of the passage of amendments to the U. The Archivist of the United States is the chief official overseeing the operation of the National Archives and Records Administration. S. Constitution by state legislatures, but has the authority to declare when the constitutional threshold for passage has been reached, and therefore when an act has become an amendment.

The agency often works closely with scholars to facilitate their studies.

Contents

History

Originally, each branch and agency of the U. S. government was responsible for maintaining its own documents, which often resulted in the loss and destruction of records. Congress established the National Archives Establishment in 1934 to centralize federal record keeping, with the Archivist of the United States as its chief administrator. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The Archivist of the United States is the chief official overseeing the operation of the National Archives and Records Administration. The National Archives was incorporated into the General Services Administration in 1949, but, in 1985, it was made an independent agency as NARA. The General Services Administration ( GSA) is an Independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning

Most of the documents in the care of NARA are in the public domain, as works of the federal government are excluded from copyright protection. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for However, some documents that have come into the care of NARA from other sources may still be protected by copyright or donor agreements. [1] NARA also stores classified documents and its Information Security Oversight Office monitors and sets policy for the U. The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO is responsible to the President of the United States for policy and oversight of the Government-wide security classification S. government's security classification system.

NARA's holdings are classified into "record groups" reflecting the governmental department or agency from which they originated. The records including paper records, microfilmed records, still pictures, motion pictures, and electronic media.

Many of NARA's most requested records are frequently used for research in genealogy. Genealogy (from Greek: el γενεά el-Latn genea, "descent" and el λόγος el-Latn logos, "knowledge" is the study of This includes census records from 1790 to 1930, as well as ship passenger lists and naturalization records. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population Naturalization is the acquisition of Citizenship or Nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born


Facilities and exhibition

National Archives Building

Interior of the National Archives
Interior of the National Archives

The National Archives Building, known informally as Archives I, located north of the National Mall on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, opened as its original headquarters in 1935. The National Mall is an open-area National park in Downtown Washington D In Washington DC, Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D It holds the original copies of the three main formative documents of the United States and its government: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4 1776 announcing that the thirteen American colonies then The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. In the United States the Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known It also hosts the Magna Carta confirmed by Edward I in 1297. Magna Carta ( Latin for Great Charter, literally " Great Paper " also called Magna Carta Libertatum ( Great Charter of Freedoms [2] These are displayed to the public in the main chamber of the National Archives, which is called the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan often covered by a Dome. The term Charters of Freedom is used to describe the three documents in early American history which are considered instrumental to its founding and philosophy Flash photography of the documents is prohibited, because the flashes can over time fade out the documents. There are no lines to see individual documents (although there is a line to reach the rotunda itself) at the National Archives, and visitors are allowed to walk from document to document as they wish.

The National Archives Building also exhibits other important American historical documents such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as collections of photography and other historically and culturally significant American artifacts. For the film see Louisiana Purchase (film. The Louisiana Purchase (French Vente de la Louisiane "Louisiana Sale" The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War.

National Archives at College Park

NARA facility near the University of Maryland, College Park.
NARA facility near the University of Maryland, College Park. The University of Maryland College Park (often referred to as The University of Maryland UMD, UMCP or simply Maryland) is a public research

Due to space constraints, NARA opened a second facility, known informally as Archives II, in 1994 near the University of Maryland, College Park campus. The University of Maryland College Park (often referred to as The University of Maryland UMD, UMCP or simply Maryland) is a public research The two institutions engage in multiple initiatives. [3]

Affiliated and regional facilities

There are ten Affiliated Archives locations across the US which hold, by formal, written agreement with NARA" [4] , accessioned records. There are also fourteen Regional Archives facilities across the country with available research rooms and two major facilities in St. Louis, Missouri which comprise the National Personnel Records Center. The National Personnel Records Center is an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration and is divided into two large Federal Records Centers located in St However, the National Archives Building in downtown Washington still contains such record collections as all existing Federal Census records, Ship Passenger Lists, military unit records from the American Revolution up to the Philippine-American War, records of the Confederate Government, the Freedmen's Bureau records and pension/land records. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"

Presidential libraries

NARA also maintains the Presidential Library system, a nationwide network of libraries for preserving and making available the documents of U.S. presidents since Herbert Hoover. In the United States, the Presidential library system is a nationwide network of libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries which is part of the National The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10 1874 &ndash October 20 1964 was the thirty-first President of the United States (1929–1933 The Presidential Libraries include:

Libraries and museums have been established for other presidents, but they are not part of the NARA presidential library system, and are operated by private foundations, historical societies, or state governments, including the William McKinley, Rutherford Hayes, Calvin Coolidge, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson libraries. William McKinley Jr ( January 29, 1843 September 14, 1901) was the twenty-fifth President of the United States, and the last Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4 1822 January 17 1893 was an American politician, lawyer, military leader and the nineteenth John Calvin Coolidge Jr (July 4 1872 January 5 1933 was the thirtieth President of the United States (1923–1929 Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. For example, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is owned and operated by the State of Illinois. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union.

The broad range of material which NARA preserves at the Presidential libraries is exemplified by the President's VH-3A "Sea King" helicopter at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.
The broad range of material which NARA preserves at the Presidential libraries is exemplified by the President's VH-3A "Sea King" helicopter at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The National Archives maintains a Nixon Presidential Materials Project at its Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland. The "Nixon Project" is currently (2007) transferring all of their materials to the newly-opened Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda, California.

2006 controversy over reclassification

Main article: U.S. reclassification program

In March 2006, it was revealed by the Archivist of the United States in a public hearing that a memorandum of understanding between NARA and various government agencies existed to "reclassify", i. The US intelligence community's secret historical document reclassification program is a project to reclassify certain documents that have already been declassified and released e withdraw from public access, certain documents in the name of national security, and to do so in a manner such that researchers would not be likely to discover the process. [5]

Public-private partnerships

The National Archives aims to make its holdings more widely available and more easily accessible by entering into public-private partnerships. In 2006, NARA announced a joint-venture with Google to digitize and offer NARA video online. Google Inc is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online This pilot program represents an evolutionary step for the National Archives to achieve its goal of becoming an archives without walls, as explained in the NARA press release. This innovative partnership is just one step in a strategic plan which emphasizes the importance of providing access to records anytime, anywhere. This is one of many initiatives that NARA is launching to expand opportunities for the public to be able to view NARA's collections. [6]

In early 2007, the National Archives and Footnote launched a pilot project to digitize historic documents. The NARA press release explained that this partnership will allow much greater access to approximately 4. 5 million pages of important documents that are currently available only in their original format or on microfilm. No less important, the digitization of documents will also enhance NARA's efforts to preserve its original records. [7]

In late 2007, the National Archives announced it would make thousands of historical films available for purchase through CreateSpace (an Amazon.com subsidiary) which specializes in on-demand distribution of DVDs, CDs and books. Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington. Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington. The NARA press release emphasized the potential benefits for the public-at-large and for the National Archives. At NARA facilities, the public can continue to view films and even copy them at no charge; and this new program will make NARA's holdings much more accessible to those who cannot travel to the Washington, DC area. At the same time, the NARA-CreateSpace partnership will provide the National Archives with digital reference and preservation copies of the films as part of NARA's preservation program. [8]

Archivist of the United States

Further information: Archivist of the United States

The Archivist of the United States is the chief official overseeing the operation of the National Archives and Records Administration. The Archivist of the United States is the chief official overseeing the operation of the National Archives and Records Administration. An archivist is a professional who assesses collects organizes preserves maintains control over and provides access to information determined to have long-term value The first Archivist, R.D.W. Connor, began serving in 1934, when the National Archive was established by Congress. Robert Digges Wimberly Connor ( September 26, 1878 - February 25, 1950) was an American historian and the first Archivist of the United The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The Archivists served as subordinate officials in other government agencies until the National Archives and Records Administration became an independent agency on April 1, 1985. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The current Archivist is Allen Weinstein, who was appointed on February 16, 2005. Allen Weinstein is the Archivist of the United States. He was confirmed by the U Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

See also


References

  1. ^ archives.org - privacy and use
  2. ^ Featured Document: The Magna Carta
  3. ^ archives.org - IT conference sponsors
  4. ^ Affiliated Archives page of Archives.gov
  5. ^ gwu.edu (2006-04-11)
  6. ^ NARA + Google partnership
  7. ^ NARA + Footnote partnership
  8. ^ NARA + CreateSpace partnership

External links

The 1973 National Archives Fire, a severe blow to the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States, was a disastrous fire that occurred at the Digital preservation is the management of Digital information over time The Library of Congress National Digital Library Program (NDLP is assembling a digital Library of reproductions of Primary source materials to support the study of The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program is a national strategic program being led by the Library of Congress to preserve digital content The National Security Archive is a 501(c(3 non-governmental non-profit research and archival institution located within The George Washington University in The White House Millennium Council was an American organization established in 1998 by President Bill Clinton to commemorate the Millennium. Samuel Richard "Sandy" Berger (born October 28, 1945) served as the 19th United States National Security Advisor under President The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Adviser (abbreviated NSA, or sometimes ANSA William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States
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