(Offsite): The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation’s record keeper. They serves American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.
The stories of our nation and our people are told in the records and artifacts cared for in NARA facilities around the country. We want all Americans to be inspired to explore the records of their country.
Before the National Archives was created in 1934, individual government agencies were in charge of maintaining their own records. Some took great care of the materials, but many did not. After an extensive survey, the Archivist of the United States reported in 1937 that nearly 1,360,000 cubic feet of records should be transferred to the National Archives. The volume of records continued to grow, as New Deal and then World War II records poured in.
NARA does not lend original documents for research use. But it offers a loan policy which allows qualified institutions to exhibit original documents, artifacts, and other historical materials from its accessioned holdings for temporary periods up to one year. This helps educate the public about the American national experience. Loans are made for public exhibition only for educational purposes and must be accessible to the public. Exhibitions must be of sufficient length to warrant the costs and risks associated with loans and exhibitions.
Congressional Affairs serves as the principal point of contact for NARA with Capitol Hill and can assist offices with constituent concerns or questions regarding agency policy and procedures. The National Archives provides complimentary, secure storage for the inactive papers of current Members of Congress.
Online exhibits can be viewed in the NARA website. Some of the featured exhibits are “The National Archives: Documents Rights”, “The Deadly Virus – The Influenza Epidemic of 1918” and “Ever Four Years: Electing a President”. The website also includes a section of the National Archives Experience which it tells the stories of the American journey to young and old, scholars and students, cynics and dreamers. There is a section on America’s Historical Documents as well. They preserves and provides access to the records of the Federal Government.
It’s publications includes books, research papers, catalogs, teaching aids, and more. Authored by archivists and other experts on the National Archives’ staff, our publications provide information about the National Archives and its holdings, and also include works about professional archival practice, and scholarly works on people and events of historical interest. And many of these can be obtained online or in print.
