October is American Archives month, a time to raise awareness about the value of archives and archivists and to celebrate that work. One of the ways we are participating this year will be to discuss the work of the Archivist of the United States.
As a kickoff to American Archives Month, I invite you to join us on Google+ for an Ask the Archivist Hangout. I’ll be answering your questions on Tuesday, September 24, 2–2:30 pm, ET, from my office in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. And if you’re not able to watch it live, the hangout will be posted on YouTube so you can check it out later.
So, what will we talk about? That’s up to you! Send me your questions about what it means to be the Archivist of the United States by posting them in the comments to this blog post, tweet them with the #AskAOTUS hashtag, or post them on Google+ with the same hashtag. I’m ready to answer any questions you might have and I will even show you around my office. I’m eager to hang out with you on September 24!
Original Image: Photograph of Radio Broadcast for the March of Dimes with Margaret Truman and Others, 01/21/1948, National Archives Identifier 199642
Remember: The Hangout is on Tuesday, September 24, 2:00–2:30 pm, ET.
Post your questions now!
What one thing should graduate students in archives learn before we give them their degrees?
Do you plan anything special for 100 years of world war 1, or are open to cooperation with other countries national archives on the topic?
What new ebooks are in the works? The current three are excellent! From a teacher and volunteer.
Modern sources of information are no longer primarily paper documents. It is created on film, digital texts, email, audio tape, radio and video broadcasts, and many more media. Please describe what measures the Archives takes to collect and preserve such data.
Recently in Amsterdam a Van Gogh painting was found, identified and donated to the Van Gogh Museum. What US records are you hoping still exist in someone’s attic waiting to be found and identified?