Knowing Where to LookThe difference between an archives and a library and why having this The difference between an archives and a library and why having this

information can help you for the rest of your academic life.information can help you for the rest of your academic life.

Archival Research Basics with the National ArchivesLesson # 2

The National Archives and Records AdministrationPacific Alaska Region

Seattle, Washington & Anchorage, Alaska

9/1/2009

When doing research on any topic, it When doing research on any topic, it is important to know is important to know whatwhat you are you are

looking for and looking for and wherewhere that item that item or items might be.or items might be.

In order to figure that out, it is often In order to figure that out, it is often important to know the difference important to know the difference between the between the TYPESTYPES of materials of materials you might be looking for.you might be looking for.

Published MaterialsPublished Materials

Created by one or several

people and reproduced

in some quantity.

Books being chosen for Wheelwright Library, Wheelright, Kentucky 1946ARC Identifier 541514 (www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

Often contain

indexes and

tables of contents.

Charlestown, Indiana Library 1941, ARC Identifier 518271 (www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

Published MaterialsPublished Materials

Usually catalogued by topic.

Map Library

Kent State University

Published MaterialsPublished Materials

Sometimes catalogued by date

Newspaper section of periodicals library Newman Library

Virginia Tech University

Published MaterialsPublished Materials

May have multiple

indexes and catalogs to

help you find items and subjects within.

Some may be digitized and/or

online.Children’s Periodicals from the Graduate

School of Library and Information ScienceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Published MaterialsPublished Materials

Unpublished materials

Loose materials, often organized

into files and sometimes

placed in boxes of different types.

Proclamation Signing, Cuba Quarantine. President Kennedy. White House, Oval Office., 10/23/1962 ARC Identifier 194243 (www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

Often never reproduced in any way.

The original is often all there is.

Photograph of two Metal Fragments Removed from the Head of President John F. Kennedy at the Time of His AutopsyARC Identifier 305167 (www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

Unpublished materials

May only be

organized by

material type or by date

Archivist R.D.W. Connor (right) receives a master print of the epic film “Gone With The Wind” from Carter Barron, Loew’s Eastern Division Manager of Theaters on January 30, 1941. Looking on is Senator Walter Franklin George of Georgia. http://www.archives.gov/75th/photos/1940s/01.html

Often organized by the agency or person who created them rather

than by topic

US ArmyImmigration & Naturalization

Service

US Navy

Bureau of Indian Affairs

US Forest Service

Fish and Wildlife Service

US Federal District Courts

Bureau of Land

Management

Bureau of Prohibition ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY: BUREAU OF PROHIBITION SEATTLE, WA 1927-33The Bureau of Prohibition was responsible for tracking bootleggers and organized crime leaders. They focused primarily on interstate and international cases and those cases where local law enforcement official would not or could not act. The Seattle office of the Bureau of Prohibition apparently operated in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. Predecessor Agency: Prohibition Unit, Department of the Treasury Successor Agency: Alcohol Tax Unit, Department of the TreasuryDate Compiled: 2/23/94 SERIES DESCRIPTION:INVESTIGATORY CASE FILES 1924-3314 linear feet Arranged by case file numberThese case file contain raw investigatory data as well as news clippings relating to the investigation; correspondence between law enforcement officials and correspondence with informants; and draft and final reports. Some files have transcripts of telephone taps. The files contain information on local prohibition activities as well as interstate activities (OR/WA and WA/CA) and international smuggling activities (US/Canada). Many of the files relate to local law enforcement and electedofficial involved in bootlegging. Some materials may be restricted due to Grand Jury informationTYPE OF MATERIALS: correspondence, news clippings, transcripts, reports, photosSUBJECT REFERENCE: prohibition, law enforcementGEOGRAPHIC NAME REFERENCE: WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, CA, British Columbia, Columbia RiverBEGIN AND END BOX NUMBERS: 1-32FOLDER LIST:FILE NO. CASE TITLE Box 1: Docket #101 Great Falls, Montana (Western Sales Co., et.al.)Docket #106 Absarokee, Montana (complaint of Rev. W.L. Spencer)Docket #108 Plentywood, MontanaDocket #158 Miles City, Montana (closed)Docket #158 1/2 Billings, Montana (closed)3.01-237 Seattle Conspiracy3.01-246 Russell Wood, Harold Anderson, et.al. (A.W. Wash. case) [Tacoma, WA]7-A Parsons, Frank [Vancouver, B.C]45-A Conspiracy to transport alcohol between California & Oregon65-B Gus Hodel, et.al. [Great Falls, MT] [photo in paper of officers by still]119-B Hemrich Brewing Co. Seattle, WA 3.02-186119-B Hemrich Brewing Co.

Continued …..

Sometimes (but not always) there are lists telling us what files are inside the boxes

BEGIN AND END BOX NUMBERS: 1-32FOLDER LIST:FILE NO. CASE TITLE Box 1: Docket #101 Great Falls, Montana (Western Sales Co., et.al.)Docket #106 Absarokee, Montana (complaint of Rev. W.L. Spencer)Docket #108 Plentywood, MontanaDocket #158 Miles City, Montana (closed)Docket #158 1/2 Billings, Montana (closed)3.01-237 Seattle Conspiracy3.01-246 Russell Wood, Harold Anderson, et.al. (A.W. Wash. case) [Tacoma, WA]7-A Parsons, Frank [Vancouver, B.C]45-A Conspiracy to transport alcohol between California & Oregon65-B Gus Hodel, et.al. [Great Falls, MT] [photo in paper of officers by still]119-B Hemrich Brewing Co. Seattle, WA 3.02-186119-B Hemrich Brewing Co.

Continued …..

Sometimes (but not always) there are lists telling us what files are inside the boxes

Often unpublished materials take hours of

careful research to find and use

So why would you bother So why would you bother to take the time to search to take the time to search through original through original documents that are not documents that are not indexed or organized by indexed or organized by topic?topic?

Perhaps you want a copy of the original treasury warrant for the purchase of

Alaska for a report or exhibit.

Treasury Warrant in the Amount of $7.2 Million for the Purchase of Alaska, 08/01/1868, ARC Identifier 301667 ( www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

Perhaps you want to examine areas of

Alaska that were of concern to the Environmental

Protection agency in the 1970’s

Documerica Project - Valdez Narrows 1974,

ARC Identifier 555709 (www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

Or find an original civil war discharge certificate for an ancestor or person important to the outcome of the war.

Josiah Webster Civil War Discharge Certificate February, 1863, 02/1863, ARC Identifier 192986 ( www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

Perhaps you want to find out what

REALLY happened to individual or

groups of African Americans before

the Civil War

Warrant for Habeas Corpus, September 21, 1839United States v. Cinque and the Africans, Case Files,

ARC Identifier 2641484 (www.archives.gov/research/arc/ )

See the entire NARA Documented Rights exhibit

Or Or simply simply make make history history come come alive?alive?

Civil war photographs from www.archives.gov/research/arc/ (ARC Identifiers 524705, 524564, 524642)

So … let’s pretend you are now So … let’s pretend you are now convinced to take the time to dig convinced to take the time to dig through some original records. through some original records.

How would you figure out what How would you figure out what facilityfacility would have the record you would have the record you want and where it is located?want and where it is located?

At this point it will be important for At this point it will be important for you to learn the difference you to learn the difference

between between

INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS

andand

GOVERNMENT REPOSITORIESGOVERNMENT REPOSITORIES

Collections

People are always collecting things like:

• Stamps

• Coins

• Antiques

• Books

Libraries and museums may Libraries and museums may collectcollect (among other (among other things)things)

CollectionsCollections

BooksBooks

ManuscriptsManuscripts

ObjectsObjects

MapsMaps

JournalsJournals

NewspapersNewspapers

PhotographsPhotographs

Moving ImagesMoving Images

ArtworkArtwork

Electronic Electronic materialsmaterials

Special collectionsSpecial collections

Works kept in Works kept in special collectionsspecial collections (as (as opposed to the library's general collection) opposed to the library's general collection) are typically stored there because they are are typically stored there because they are unusually valuable, rare (possibly unique), unusually valuable, rare (possibly unique), or fragile, or because they should not, for or fragile, or because they should not, for some particular reason, be allowed to some particular reason, be allowed to commingle with the library's other works commingle with the library's other works

(Wikipedia)(Wikipedia)

Unpublished materials are often kept in special collectionsUnpublished materials are often kept in special collections

In any collectionIn any collection

Always check to see what they have Always check to see what they have collectedcollected

Be aware that they probably do not have Be aware that they probably do not have EVERYTHING possible (you will probably EVERYTHING possible (you will probably need to look in other places for more need to look in other places for more items)items)

Government RepositoriesGovernment RepositoriesItems or documents in a government repository

are usually not “collected.”

[DISCLAIMER: Even government repositories (like archives) may actually hold a few collections that

have been donated or otherwise obtained.]

However, for the most part, NO conscious decision is made to “collect” particular items or types of

items. The law tells them what to save.

Government repositories [archives] are where government agencies send their historic or

“permanent” records when they no longer need them.

SO… You can COUNT on particular documents like

the ones on the right

[if they were saved]

being held in a

government archives.

The U.S. Federal archives … U.S. Military records

… Records of the federal courts

… Federal immigration records

… Federal land records

… American Indian records (recorded by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs)

… Federal program records (CCC, WPA, Highways, Dams, rationing, and thousands more)

… Federal census records

Government repositories [archives] are where government agencies send their historic or

“permanent” records when they no longer need them.

SO… You can COUNT on particular documents like

the ones on the right

[if they were saved]

being held in a

government archives.

A state, county or local government facility… Birth certificates

… State and local census records

… Records of the local courts

… Marriage certificates

… Local land records

… School records

… State and local program records

… Nearly unlimited possibilities for state and local agencies and department records

So … where would you go if …So … where would you go if …

You were looking for a birth certificate?

You needed a copy of “Catcher in the Rye”?

You wanted a record of what happened at the Little Bighorn?

You were looking for a fire map of the Colville Indian agency?

You needed your grandfather’s citizenship application?

So … where would you go if …So … where would you go if …

You were looking for a birth certificate?– The state archives for the state of birth

You needed a copy of “Catcher in the Rye”?– Any library that has it in their collection

You wanted a record of what happened at the Little Bighorn?– Military records held at the National Archives

You were looking for a fire map of the Colville Indian agency?– National Archives original records (Bureau of Indian Affairs

and/or the Bureau of Land Management)

You needed your grandfather’s citizenship application?– Either in the 1) National Archives’ or 2) a state, county, or

local archives (depending upon the court that the records were filed in.)

Wow … how did I know that?Wow … how did I know that?

The first thing I did was– Figure out whether it was a published or unpublished

record– If published, look at library databases to find who has

a copy of the item in their collection.– If it is not published,

check to see if it was a government document,notice WHAT government created the document,look in that government archives.

– If it is not published and non-government,do an internet search to see if the document exists in a special collection in a library or museum.

Can’t figure it out?Can’t figure it out?Always remember that the people Always remember that the people who can help direct you in your who can help direct you in your

search are:search are:

ArchivistsArchivists

LibrariansLibrarians

Museum staffMuseum staff

HistoriansHistorians

Other researchersOther researchersThey know their records … They know where else to look

They are your best resource!

ASSIGNMENT 2

1. Review the analysis sheet you filled out for Lesson 1 2. Look at the types of documents you listed3. Using the Lesson 2 worksheet, list specific documents you might want to

look for in order to write about the ethnic composition of your community. What type of document are you looking for? (map, photo, journal,

diary, article, encyclopedia entry, drawing,…) Given the document type, is it most likely published, unpublished, or

both? Would the document have been produced by a government or non-

government entity? Is it most likely in a collection (or collections or in a government

repository? Which one and where?

4. Please send a copy of the completed worksheet to carol.buswell@nara.gov or Carol Buswell, 6125 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 for review. If you are taking this course for credit, this is a REQUIRED and GRADED assignment.

Need to know where something is

RIGHT NOW?

ASK US! We are here to help you.ASK US! We are here to help you.

The National Archives at Anchorage654 West Third AvenueAnchorage, AK 99501-2145907-261-7800alaska.archives@nara.gov Serves Alaska

The National Archives at Seattle6125 Sand Point Way, NESeattle, WA 98115-7999206-336-5115seattle.archives@nara.gov

Serves Washington, Oregon and Idaho