I have the honor to be co-hosting DPLAfest 2016 in Washington, D.C., next week, April 14-15, 2016. Along with the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress, we will host DPLA’s third annual series of interactive workshops, hackathons, and discussions. The National Archives plays a major role in this year’s DPLAfest. Together with DPLA’s Executive … Continue reading DPLAfest 2016
Since 2010, we have made significant accomplishments in open government at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). We have published 3 plans and accomplished more than 120 commitments. NARA commitments are even featured in the U.S. National Action Plan on Open Government. But we still need to do more and we need to hear … Continue reading Let’s Talk! Join me for the Open Government Webinar
Our new exhibition, “Amending America,” opens on March 11, 2016. 2016 marks the 225th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, written in 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791. The original Bill of Rights, on permanent display in the National Archives Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, is still closely connected to the biggest issues … Continue reading Amending America: How do we amend the Constitution?
One of the many avenues that the National Archives offers to engage with our customers is online through our websites. In the recent blog series “By the Numbers” we reported we had over 24 million visits our websites last fiscal year. Additionally, there were more than 8 million visits to FederalRegister.gov last year and more than … Continue reading Driven By Data
Having recently seen The Lady in the Van (three times!) I was reminded of how much I have enjoyed the work of Alan Bennett over the years—which led me to his Untold Stories, published in 2005. In a section on “Art, Architecture and Authors” he writes: “Sometimes when one’s reading a book, a novel say, … Continue reading Why I Read
Yesterday we talked about some major projects, supported by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, documenting the contributions of African Americans to the American Story. While the history of Emancipation and the collected papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., are vital to understanding of our democracy, history, and culture, there are many other chapters: … Continue reading Celebrating Black History Month: Hidden Gems
Every day, we celebrate the remarkable contributions of African Americans to the American Story. The National Archives contains millions of records related to the interactions of African Americans with the Federal government—from the Emancipation Proclamation to the millions of historical records ranging from the Census to military service. The National Archives grant program, our National … Continue reading Celebrating Black History Month
As the University Librarian at Duke one of my favorite duties was talking people into donating their personal collections to the University Library. My staff had great intelligence about who we should go after to strengthen the collections, so I was always armed with rationale(s) for the fit at Duke. The passing of Robin Chandler … Continue reading Remembering Robin Chandler Duke
In celebration of the New York Academy of Medicine’s #ColorOurCollections campaign this week, many museums, libraries, and archives hopped on the adult coloring bandwagon and created coloring books to share on Twitter. We’ve been participating by posting various images throughout the week for people to color, from Rosie the Riveter to the Faulkner murals. Now … Continue reading #ColorOurCollections
Much of the Eastern Seaboard is bracing for a major snow/ice event this weekend. Are you prepared? Looking for indoor activities? Even if you can’t make it out to the research rooms, you can still do something fun and good for the country from the comfort of your own home as you tag and transcribe … Continue reading Cabin Fever Remedies
