AOTUS: Collector in Chief

Look Down

As a kid I had a “talent” for finding four leaf clovers. Stretching before a run recently I looked down and noticed one staring me in the face. And reconnected with my childhood. In fact, over the past weekend I found 23!

We are surrounded every day with messages to “look up,” “look ahead,” “look back,” but not so many to “look down.” Except “mind the gap!” A quick Google search for “look up” results in 560m hits while “look down” only 231m hits. So, while you are looking up for inspiration or ahead for direction or back for perspective, remember to look down. It is amazing what’s at your feet!

Read the full post on the AOTUS blog.

riversidearchives:

Observing Memorial Day at the National Archives at Riverside

Memorial day is a way for each American to pause and think about the sacrifice soldiers and military families make for the common good.  This holiday began as a tribute to fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War, and we now observe memorial day as a way to remember all of the men and women that have served with with the U.S. Armed Forces. 

To mark this day, the National Archives at Riverside has decided to post some of our favorite images of military men and women serving at the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation during World War II.  These photos show some of the early forms of diversity that we now take for granted in our armed services, such as African American soldiers and women in service (the Women’s Army Corps, or WACs).

todaysdocument:

Before “Rosie the Riveter”

Women riveters pose for the camera at the Navy Yard in Puget Sound, Washington. Taken on May 29, 1919, a generation before the more famous World War II image of “Rosie the Riveter,” this photograph shows women working in industrial jobs traditionally filled by men, just as women did during World War II.

Women Rivet Heaters and Passers on, Ship Construction Work. Navy Yard, Puget Sound, Washington.

From the General Photographic File of the Women’s Bureau

via DocsTeach

todaysdocument:

Plan of One Tower for the East River Bridge, 1867

When it opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world.   Designed and built by German-born John A. Roebling and his son, Washington A. Roebling, the bridge connected New York and Brooklyn. The remarkable design used Roebling’s patented system of steel wire cable construction. Its graceful limestone and granite towers, pictured here, took 5 years to build.

(Source: research.archives.gov)

preservearchives:

Preserving a Nuremberg Trial Document

This large chart from “United States Exhibits” (ARC ID: 6102180) was presented by the US prosecuting staff in the trial of major German war criminals under Count I (The Common Plan and Conspiracy) before the International Military Tribunal (IMT) at Nuremberg, Germany.

The chart on heavy paper had previously been folded to fit in a document box. It was passively humidified and flattened under blotters and weights. The original adhesive on many of the labels was desiccated and most labels were detached. After the RG 238 chart was flattened, conservators reattached the labels in place with wheat starch paste. Now it will be stored flat.

Until fairly recently, social media has been seen as experimental and outside the realm of the essential work of our agency. Today that is simply no longer the case.  Smart use of social media is now mission-critical to our agency.

Today, it is no longer about a single voice disseminating information from the Archives. Our customers want deeper access to our staff and to hear the entire chorus of our voices.  Our citizen archivists and engaged customers eagerly await more ways to participate and add their voices to the chorus.  Together we can provide greater access to the records, and a deeper understanding of those records. Together we’ll amplify each other’s messages.

Let’s do it!

Read the full post on the AOTUS blog.

congressarchives:

On Wednesday the National Archives announced the Legislative Archives Fellowship for 2012. Last year the Archivist of the United States created the Fellowship to support scholarly work in United States history, based on research in the records of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The Foundation for the National Archives generously provided a total stipend of $10,000 for the Fellowship.

Applications for the 2012 Fellowship will be accepted by email until midnight EDT May 16, 2012. The recipient will be selected by July 1, 2012. Research proposals will be considered on any topic requiring research in the historical records of Congress housed at the National Archives Center for Legislative Archives. Find out how to apply.

“Careful Examination” by Clifford K. Berryman, 7/16/1918, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC 6011459)

ourpresidents:

Harry S. Truman taking the oath of office at the White House after the death of President Roosevelt. 4/12/1945

Offering his consolation to the widowed Eleanor Roosevelt, Vice President Truman asked the now-former First Lady, “Is there anything that I can do for you?”

ER responded, “Is there anything that we can do for you?  For you are the one who in trouble now.”

-from the Truman Library

todaysdocument:

The New DocsTeach App for iPad!

This week our Education colleagues at the National Archives announced the DocsTeach App for iPad, extending the dynamic learning opportunities available from the DocsTeach.org website to iPad users.  (This marks the second mobile app from the National Archives, joining our Today’s Document app.)

Using the app, you can choose a topic, such as “Civics & Government” or “Postwar U.S. 1945 – early 1970s,” and challenge yourself with a DocsTeach activity to interact with stories, events, and ideas of the past. All activities are based on primary source documents from the holdings of the National Archives, such as the U.S. Constitution, the canceled check for the purchase of Alaska, and Thomas Edison’s patent drawing for the light bulb. The activities were created by the National Archives education team and an army of DocsTeach users.

via NARAtions » The New DocsTeach App for iPad!