October is American Archives Month! That means archives from around the country will promote their collections and archivists will share their knowledge all month long online. As you know, our line of work is dependent on the good folks who care for and curate historical materials. We here at TRG look forward to this month as it helps give us a sense of current trends and happenings in the archives field.
We last wrote about this fun event in 2019, but much has changed since then.
An exterior view of the National Archives and Records Administration downtown Washington, DC location. (Photo by Ama Ansah, Taylor Research Group)
Over the past four years, archives around the country have pushed for greater access to and preservation of historical records and documentation through digitization; an effort which was already in progress but made even more necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some archives have also implemented more services that have given us greater access to their records. For example, archivists are now more receptive to working with us prior to our visit to the physical archives. They are more willing to provide reference services by phone and email, which allows us to target and home in on the most promising materials to ensure they are available for us to review once we arrive on site.
This has been helpful because archives are of critical importance to us as historical researchers, as they hold many types of documents we are routinely asked to find. Such documents provide our legal and business clients with insight into a variety of matters. Just this year, we have used physical and digital archives to research polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) use, corporate lineage, operations at major manufacturing centers, the role of government in wartime industrial production, historical waste disposal of toxic substances, and local architectural histories.
Inside NARA's reading room in Washington, DC, where researchers review records they requested. (Photo by Ama Ansah, Taylor Research Group)
In our 2019 post about American Archives Month, we shared that most of our research begins with a trip to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) facilities located in the Washington, DC area. This is still true, though access to the archives is not as unfettered as it once was. Following NARA’s pandemic closures in 2020 and 2021, sites that previously admitted walk-ins began requiring scheduled appointments and only making a few spots available at a time. Staff turnover, which many industries have seen in the past few years, led to longer wait times at NARA as new employees were on-boarded. TRG’s familiarity with NARA resources, collections, and procedures proved vital in allowing us to conduct our research efficiently and effectively despite pandemic challenges.
We are hopeful that NARA will continue to expand access and digitization efforts under the new leadership of Dr. Colleen Shogan, the 11th Archivist of the United States (AOTUS) and first woman to be appointed to the position. Based on her September visit to the New York Historical Society and interview with Soldedad O’Brien, we are optimistic! Dr. Shogan shared that as AOTUS she intends to focus on access, both in-person and digitally. Indeed, NARA’s online footprint continues to grow with close to 300 million records digitized.
It is highly unusual for one repository to hold all of the documents we need to fully answer our client’s historical questions because each has a very specific collection policy. Therefore, though we may typically begin our work at NARA’s DC-based facilities, we then typically expand our scope to include regional NARA facilities as well as university, state, and local archives across the country.
TRG can find all kinds of documents in the archives!
As we wrote in 2019: even for the most seemingly random of historical inquiries, there is some archives somewhere that holds documentation that can provide the answers our clients are seeking. That’s the fun part of our job! We are lucky to have access to so many excellent archives both in DC and the greater mid-Atlantic region, some of which we highlighted in this recent blog post. And we enjoy visiting newly discovered unique and interesting archives as we work to track down relevant documentation. What never ceases to amaze us is the access we are granted to such valuable historical documentation.
As historians and researchers, we appreciate the work archivists do. The challenge related to access most often stems from the volume of important archival documents that must be collected, preserved, and then somehow made accessible. It can take years for archivists to adequately weed through collections, describe them, and create finding aids that can be put online for researchers to discover on a database like WorldCat. Over the past few years, and especially during the pandemic, many repositories made a concerted effort to digitize larger portions of their collections. Digitization is a long and complex process, which we’ll discuss more in a future post. It’s been a big few years for the archival field, so please join us in celebrating American Archives Month! It is a wonderful way to not only raise awareness for the field of archives and the professionals who work in it, but to also advocate for more funding and resources to ensure the continued preservation of and access to historical documents of value.
Want to continue celebrating American Archives Month? Check out some of the resources below!
Follow #ArchivesMonth on Twitter/X
State and local archives have been sharing events and cool finds from their collections! For example, the DCStateArchives (@dcstatearchives) shared the first birth certificate issued by the DC Health Department. The Library of Virginia (@LibraryofVA) is sharing some of their favorite zines and the Washington State Archives (@WAStateArchives) are highlighting their Pacific Northwest food and drink records!
Council of State Archives’ (CoSA) #ERecsDay
CoSA plans to promote awareness about the value of electronic records on Twitter/X through its #ERecsDay on October 10.
Society of American Archivists’ (SAA) #AskAnArchivist Day
This professional organization promotes the value and diversity of archives and archivists. Join SAA on X for #AskAnArchivist on October 11 to hear from archivists around the country.
NARA’s American Archives Month Dedicated Webpage
NARA participates in a different way each year. This year, NARA’s Denver regional branch is sharing some of their favorite documents on Twitter/X.