AOTUS: Collector in Chief

David S. Ferriero
10th Archivist of the United States
todaysdocument:

Check out the exhibit in person if you can — having stared at many of these photos on a screen for years, seeing the full size prints is a whole new experience!
npr:

(via 16 Photographs That Capture the Best and Worst of 1970s America

A new exhibit at the National Archives highlights an interesting decade — one that gave rise to the environmental movement and some awkward fashion

Photo credit: National Archives

todaysdocument:

Check out the exhibit in person if you can — having stared at many of these photos on a screen for years, seeing the full size prints is a whole new experience!

npr:

(via 16 Photographs That Capture the Best and Worst of 1970s America

A new exhibit at the National Archives highlights an interesting decade — one that gave rise to the environmental movement and some awkward fashion

Photo credit: National Archives

preservearchives:

How did we detect the forged date on the Lincoln Pardon? How did we conserve records from a WW II shipwreck? How will you preserve your family archives? Learn the answers and (much) more at Preservation EXPOsed! Join Preservation Programs for this free event on Thursday, March 14th from 11 am to 2 pm at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Browse display booths and talk with our knowledgeable staff. Attend free lectures on special preservation projects. Make an appointment for a consultation on your favorite family treasure. For more information, see http://www.archives.gov/preservation/exposed-2013.html

preservearchives:

How did we detect the forged date on the Lincoln Pardon? How did we conserve records from a WW II shipwreck? How will you preserve your family archives? Learn the answers and (much) more at Preservation EXPOsed! Join Preservation Programs for this free event on Thursday, March 14th from 11 am to 2 pm at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Browse display booths and talk with our knowledgeable staff. Attend free lectures on special preservation projects. Make an appointment for a consultation on your favorite family treasure. For more information, see http://www.archives.gov/preservation/exposed-2013.html

todaysdocument:

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and this March also marks the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington DC. Be sure to check out one of the latest boards on Pinterest, “A National Policy of Nagging,” documenting some of the struggles of early suffragists:

A National Policy of Nagging
Suffragists faced a difficult road in their march towards equality. Even women opposed giving women the right to vote. One letter from Alice H. Wadsworth, President of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, calls it “an endorsement of nagging as a national policy.” March 3 marks 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington. In honor of this event, the 19th Amendment will be on display from March 1 to March 8, 2013.

(Ed. note: corrected 19th Amendment exhibit end date to March 8.)

todaysdocument:

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and this March also marks the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington DC. Be sure to check out one of the latest boards on Pinterest, “A National Policy of Nagging,” documenting some of the struggles of early suffragists:

A National Policy of Nagging

Suffragists faced a difficult road in their march towards equality. Even women opposed giving women the right to vote. One letter from Alice H. Wadsworth, President of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, calls it “an endorsement of nagging as a national policy.” March 3 marks 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington. In honor of this event, the 19th Amendment will be on display from March 1 to March 8, 2013.

(Ed. note: corrected 19th Amendment exhibit end date to March 8.)

US National Archives Exhibits: HITCHHIKER WITH HIS DOG, “TRIPPER”, ON U.S. 66. U.S. 66 CROSSES THE...

usnatarchivesexhibits:

image

HITCHHIKER WITH HIS DOG, “TRIPPER”, ON U.S. 66. U.S. 66 CROSSES THE COLORADO RIVER AT TOPOCK, 05/1972

Item from Records of the Environmental Protection Agency. (12/02/1970 - )


Bad fashion, odd fads, and disco dance music sum up the 1970s for many Americans. We contrast those years to the…

2 months ago - 59
congressarchives:

Today we commemorate the 1933 passing of the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution with National Lame Duck Day. Before the 20th Amendment was ratified, members elected to Congress in November did not convene under the new Congress until March (not until the following December in some cases, a full 13 months from their election). Departing members continued to serve for 4+ months after the election, and were referred to as lame ducks.
In this 1915 cartoon by Clifford Berryman, the lame ducks are defeated Democrats heading to the White House hoping to secure political appointments from President Woodrow Wilson.
 The Post-Season Parade, 3/5/1915, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC1693335)

congressarchives:

Today we commemorate the 1933 passing of the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution with National Lame Duck Day. Before the 20th Amendment was ratified, members elected to Congress in November did not convene under the new Congress until March (not until the following December in some cases, a full 13 months from their election). Departing members continued to serve for 4+ months after the election, and were referred to as lame ducks.

In this 1915 cartoon by Clifford Berryman, the lame ducks are defeated Democrats heading to the White House hoping to secure political appointments from President Woodrow Wilson.

The Post-Season Parade, 3/5/1915, U.S. Senate Collection (ARC1693335)

As a Navy veteran I have a particular fondness for U.S. Navy records, especially deck logs. From my first days here at the National Archives when I discovered that we had the actual deck logs from the USS Constitution including her service during the War of 1812 to the day I was handed a deck log of the USS Sanctuary, AH-17 , covering my time aboard that hospital ship in Viet Nam I have been hooked on this record series!
So, it was a real treat to learn that NOAA had approached us in April of 2011 with the idea of digitally imaging the logs of Navy and Coast Guard Revenue Cutter vessels as part of their work with OldWeather.org to document weather conditions in the North Pacific Arctic region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In a wonderful crowd sourcing venture, volunteers working with OldWeather.org transcribe handwritten weather observations as well as log entries on vessel movement and activities. It is a win-win cross agency collaboration—NOAA gets the weather data and NARA gets the digital images for posting.
Read the full post on the AOTUS blog.

As a Navy veteran I have a particular fondness for U.S. Navy records, especially deck logs. From my first days here at the National Archives when I discovered that we had the actual deck logs from the USS Constitution including her service during the War of 1812 to the day I was handed a deck log of the USS Sanctuary, AH-17 , covering my time aboard that hospital ship in Viet Nam I have been hooked on this record series!

So, it was a real treat to learn that NOAA had approached us in April of 2011 with the idea of digitally imaging the logs of Navy and Coast Guard Revenue Cutter vessels as part of their work with OldWeather.org to document weather conditions in the North Pacific Arctic region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In a wonderful crowd sourcing venture, volunteers working with OldWeather.org transcribe handwritten weather observations as well as log entries on vessel movement and activities. It is a win-win cross agency collaboration—NOAA gets the weather data and NARA gets the digital images for posting.

Read the full post on the AOTUS blog.

todaysdocument:

Welcome to the Union, Alaska!

Presidential Proclamation 3269 of January 3, 1959, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower admitting the State of Alaska into the Union., 01/03/1959

Did you miss our Alaskan photoset from last year’s anniversary?


Newsies selling at the Hudson Tunnel Station, Jersey City. Boy on left is Patrick Drohan, 12 years old. Next to him is Stanley Fazurowski, 9 years old. Largest boy is 13 years old. Jersey City, N.J., 12/21/1909
From the series National Child Labor Committee Photographs taken by Lewis Hine

Newsies selling at the Hudson Tunnel Station, Jersey City. Boy on left is Patrick Drohan, 12 years old. Next to him is Stanley Fazurowski, 9 years old. Largest boy is 13 years old. Jersey City, N.J., 12/21/1909

From the series National Child Labor Committee Photographs taken by Lewis Hine

(via todaysdocument)

preservearchives:


Before preparing the Emancipation Proclamation for exhibition on its 150th anniversary, a senior conservator examines the signature page with a binocular microscope.  The Fifth Page clearly shows darkening of the paper from excessive light exposure.  Emancipation Proclamation, RG 11, ARC # 299998. 

preservearchives:

Before preparing the Emancipation Proclamation for exhibition on its 150th anniversary, a senior conservator examines the signature page with a binocular microscope.  The Fifth Page clearly shows darkening of the paper from excessive light exposure.  Emancipation Proclamation, RG 11, ARC # 299998. 

todaysdocument:

Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine Patent, missing from the National Archives
December 17 is the anniversary of the Wright Brother’s historic first flight in 1903.  For most, it’s a day to celebrate a pivotal milestone in aviation history.  But here at the National Archives and at other archives, libraries, and museums it’s a reminder of the threat that cultural institutions face on a daily basis.  The patent for the Wright Flyer is missing—presumed stolen—last seen in 1979, and it’s not the only item missing.
When such records are stolen —sometimes for resale on web auction sites— our shared history is lost and our ability to maintain accountability in our government is lessened.  Together, with your help, we can return our cultural heritage to its rightful place.
For More Information:
Help the National Archives Recover Lost & Stolen Documents
US National Archives Archival Recovery Team on Facebook 
via the AOTUS Blog: The Impact of Theft

todaysdocument:

Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine Patent, missing from the National Archives

December 17 is the anniversary of the Wright Brother’s historic first flight in 1903.  For most, it’s a day to celebrate a pivotal milestone in aviation history.  But here at the National Archives and at other archives, libraries, and museums it’s a reminder of the threat that cultural institutions face on a daily basis.  The patent for the Wright Flyer is missing—presumed stolen—last seen in 1979, and it’s not the only item missing.

When such records are stolen —sometimes for resale on web auction sites— our shared history is lost and our ability to maintain accountability in our government is lessened.  Together, with your help, we can return our cultural heritage to its rightful place.

For More Information:

via the AOTUS Blog: The Impact of Theft

(Source: research.archives.gov)