This Week in the 1950 Census

It’s been a very good week for the 1950 Census! Our goal for the 1950 Census website was to provide a simple, intuitive site as well as bulk download capabilities for users and make it available as soon as we legally could. The National Archives’ Census team stayed up late on the evening of March … Continue reading This Week in the 1950 Census

By the Numbers: 2010-2022

Numbers never tell the whole story, but they do provide insights that are useful for understanding the scope and impact of our work. Here are some of the numbers we have tracked that indicate how we have grown to make access happen, connect with customers, and maximize our value to the nation from 2010 to … Continue reading By the Numbers: 2010-2022

Consistently Customer Centered

The current administration has called on federal agencies to focus on transforming federal customer experience. In response, the National Archives is embedding customer experience initiatives and principles into the strategic goals for the agency. We are also developing an agency-wide customer experience program.  As exciting and energizing as our new efforts are, focusing on customer … Continue reading Consistently Customer Centered

Catalog Contributions: Celebrating the “Wisdom of the Crowd”

In 2011, we introduced the tagging feature in the National Archives Catalog as a way to invite citizens to contribute their knowledge and expertise to archival descriptions: the “Wisdom of the Crowd.” Within the first month, we celebrated more than 1,000 user-contributed tags; each added with the goal of enhancing records and helping to improve … Continue reading Catalog Contributions: Celebrating the “Wisdom of the Crowd”

NARA and the International Council on Archives

The National Archives and Records Administration participates in the International Council on Archives (ICA) to share ideas and strategies with our peer national archives around the world, to engage with the global archival profession, and to provide support to archives in countries that are beginning to develop a stronger recordkeeping culture. We’re looking forward to … Continue reading NARA and the International Council on Archives

Exploring the Future Together

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech (VT) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), are working on a collaborative planning project, the ultimate goal of which is to ensure future access to the massive and ever-growing collection of government records in NARA’s digital Catalog.  A planning grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has … Continue reading Exploring the Future Together

Celebrating Sunshine in Government!

Sunshine Week, an annual initiative to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of unnecessary and excessive secrecy, begins March 14, 2021. One year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of Sunshine Week events across the country, including ours, we invite you to join us (virtually, of course) on … Continue reading Celebrating Sunshine in Government!

Happy Birthday, Wikipedia!

Today is a celebration of the creation of the world's largest online encyclopedia and the radical idea that information can be created by and open to everyone. This concept resonates with our work at the National Archives, where we strive to support open government values of transparency, collaboration and participation. We believe in government that … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Wikipedia!

Examining and Addressing Racism

As our nation continues to struggle with issues of racial inequality, we are called upon to think about our own roles in making improvements as an agency, both for our employees and our customers. This summer, National Archives employees throughout the agency engaged in a dialogue on race and our roles in making improvements as … Continue reading Examining and Addressing Racism

Five-Year Social Media Strategy Released

The National Archives and Records Administration released a new, streamlined social media strategy this week, with a focus on creating more engaging digital content and increasing participation by staff in the spectrum of online platforms. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2021 and spanning the coming five years, the National Archives aims to expand digital storytelling and … Continue reading Five-Year Social Media Strategy Released