Change is not easy, but NARA staff members are doing it with enthusiam and we are seeing the results. Wireless internet is now available for researchers who use our Washington, DC and College Park, MD facilities. This service is free and available to registered researchers. On Monday, we launched the redesigned Archives.gov. With your help, … Continue reading Change You Can See and Experience
Since my swearing in as the 10th Archivist of the United States less than a year ago, we've taken important steps to become a more open, transparent, participatory, and collaborative agency. I'm proud of our accomplishments: The development of our Open Government Plan A 300 percent increase in the use of social media tools to … Continue reading Open to Change
Recently, I read an article and book by Charlene Li, an expert on social media and former analyst and vice president at Forrester Research. In the book, Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead, she states that greater openness in organizations is inevitable and is a consequence of the increasing use … Continue reading Leading an Open Archives
I would like to congratulate the NARA volunteers of the Civil War Conservation Corps (CWCC) on reaching a significant milestone in the preparation of Civil War Widow’s Certificate pension case files for digitization. On June 2, these dedicated citizen archivists completed preparation of the 50,000th file, sending it on its way to the digital cameras … Continue reading Civil War Conservation Corps Reaches a Significant Milestone
On July 26, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Federal Register Act by launching Federal Register 2.0. In a special event in the Rotunda of the National Archives, I will be joined by the Public Printer of the United States and distinguished guests from regulatory agencies and the open government community to introduce … Continue reading Coming Soon: Federal Register 2.0
I celebrated Independence Day in the most spectacular way. I wasn't really prepared for how amazing the day would be. I felt proud and honored to be the Archivist of the United States. I was truly moved by the enthusiasm of the crowds lined up along Constitution Avenue to cheer as our float went by, … Continue reading Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
At the National Archives and Records Administration, we care for our nation's most beloved documents. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights are our most well known national treasures, but in the stacks there are many others, some of them not yet discovered. At a researcher meeting … Continue reading Citizen Archivist Discovers National Treasure in the Stacks
One of my favorite strategic planning quotes is from Wayne Gretzky. He said, "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." A recent Morgan Stanley report on Internet trends, gives us a lot of data on where the puck will be and the direction in which we should … Continue reading The Future is in the Palm of our Hands
At the National Archives and Records Administration, our unique role as the nation's records keeper is critical to the success of the President's open government initiative. Our work serves American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. I think … Continue reading Pork and Fort Sumter: New Ways of Relating to our Documents
Have you heard the news? This week, the Library of Congress announced that they are acquiring the digital archive of public tweets. On April 14, @librarycongress tweeted, "Library to acquire ENTIRE Twitter archives -- All public tweets, ever, since March 2006!" Congratulations, Library of Congress. In the world of electronic records, this is a historic … Continue reading Tweets: What We Might Learn From Mundane Details.
