Information About the National Archives for Prospective Researchers National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 Information About the National Archives for Prospective Researchers The National Archives acquires, preserves, and makes available for research records of enduring value created or received by all three branches of the federal government. The National Archives also accepts donations of related materials, particularly in the audiovisual field. In quantity, the records determined by the National Archives to have enduring value amount to only 2 or 3 percent of the volume created each year. Even so, its holdings include 3 billion pages of textual records, 2 million U.S. government publications, 2 million cartographic items, 5 million still photographs, 9 million aerial photographs, 120 million feet of motion picture film, 150,000 video and sound recordings, and more than 3,000 machine-readable tapes. The records are used by federal agencies in the ordinary processes of government. Citizens use them to document rights and benefits. Researchers interested in any subject involving the federal government and its predecessors, the Continental and Confederation Congresses, use records for a variety of reasons. Location of Facilities in the Washington Area The National Archives Building is located on Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. The Archives stop on the yellow line of the Metro, Washington's subway, is across Pennsylvania Avenue from the Archives Building. Several commercial parking lots are nearby. Two other National Archives facilities in the Washington, DC, area that hold records available for research are the Suitland Annex in Maryland and the Pickett Street Annex in Alexandria, VA. The National Archives provides free shuttle bus service for researchers on a regular schedule between these repositories and the National Archives Building. Preliminaries to Research Researcher status is open to anyone at least 16 years old. Persons under 16 may use the records under the direct supervision and responsibility of an adult researcher. Many of the records commonly used by genealogists have been microfilmed, and users of these and other records on microfilm are not required to have researcher cards. Every researcher must obtain a researcher card before using original records. An applicant is required to produce identification that includes a photograph, such as a driver's license, school or business ID card, or passport, and is asked to complete a short form giving name, address, phone number, and a brief description of the proposed research topic, and indicating whether or not National Archives personnel may inform other researchers of the applicant's topic or the records furnished to him or her. The card, which is valid for 2 years and renewable, will then be issued. Researcher cards are issued at all National Archives repositories. Researchers must show their researcher cards and sign in and out of the building each time they enter or leave during their visit to the Archives. Most research rooms also have sign-in/sign-out registers. Researchers are urged to make their initial visit to the National Archives during regular business hours on a weekday. Although it is possible to use records in the evening and on Saturday in some research rooms (see Hours of Service below), the records must be ordered before the close of regular business hours. Most reference archivists whose help will be needed to begin research are not available in the evening or on Saturday. Basic Research Procedures Researchers will find that working in an archives is quite different from working in a library, where one can take materials from open shelves. Original records in the National Archives are kept in closed stack areas, with access limited to staff. The records are brought to carefully supervised research rooms. Researchers who use records that have been microfilmed may retrieve and replace rolls of film from storage cabinets in public areas in and adjacent to the Microfilm Research Room, and some videocassettes are available on a self-service basis in the Motion Picture Reference Room. Records in the National Archives are not arranged according to subject but are administered in record groups established for the agencies that created or received them. For example, the records of the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture make up Record Group (RG) 16. Wherever possible, records are kept in the same order as when they were in active use by the government unit. Researchers who plan to visit the National Archives in Washington should write or telephone before they come. If a researcher expects to use records that may be security classified, advance notice is necessary so that the classification status of the records can be reviewed. If the records have not been declassified, the researcher can be notified and possibly saved a trip. Researchers expecting to use nontextual records, such as motion pictures, sound recordings, photographs, or machine-readable materials, are asked to call or write in advance because special arrangements are required to make these kinds of records available for research. Further, a letter or telephone call in advance may save the researcher from needless frustration if the National Archives does not have any records related to the researcher's topic, or if all pertinent records are located in another part of the National Archives and Records Administration system. Initial inquiries can be addressed to: Reference Services Branch (NNRS) National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 202-501-5400 That branch will either respond directly or forward the inquiry to the records branch that can best provide answers. Although National Archives staff members do not do research for individuals, they will answer telephone or written questions about holdings and will furnish copies of documents for a fee if the request identifies the documents adequately. Price quotations are provided because all orders from individuals must be prepaid. Please note that there is a $5 minimum for mail orders. National Archives staff members have prepared a number of finding aids describing the holdings of the National Archives. The contents of every record group are described in a general way in the Guide to the National Archives of the United States (Washington: National Archives and Records Service, 1974, reprinted 1988); a new edition is in progress. An inventory or a preliminary inventory describes in detail the records in a single record group or part of a record group. The National Archives also produces subject guides and other finding aids as well as catalogs of its microfilm publications. A list of finding aids in print appears in Select List of Publications of the National Archives and Records Administration, General Information Leaflet No. 3, which is available free of charge from Publications Services (NEPS), National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408. (Other General Information Leaflets of possible interest to researchers are listed inside the back cover; all are available free from Publications Services.) Most researchers will find it necessary to work closely with one or more archivists. If a researcher has been referred to a particular branch or archivist by advance telephone conversation or letter, the researcher may proceed to the branch or archivist's office after obtaining a researcher card in Room 207. After conferring with the researcher to plan a research strategy, the archivist will arrange for pertinent records to be delivered to the appropriate research room where the researcher can use them. If no advance contact has been made, the researcher will be directed to the Reference Services Branch, Room 207, where research interests can be discussed with an archivist who will advise about the availability of potentially useful records and refer the researcher to other archivists for further assistance. Hours of Service (except legal federal holidays): Central Research Room, National Archives Building, Room 200, 8:45 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Friday; 8:45 a.m.-5:15 p.m., Saturday. Researchers wishing to use records in the evening must ask an archivist by 3 p.m. to have them delivered to the research room; records to be used on Saturday must be ordered by 3 p.m. Friday. Records may be reserved for continued use on subsequent days by request to the desk attendant in the research room. Microfilm Research Room, National Archives Building, Room 400, 8:45 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Friday; 8:45 a.m.-5:15 p.m., Saturday. Occasionally, when there are more researchers than available microfilm readers, researchers will be limited in the number of hours they may use a reader. Still Picture Research Room, National Archives Building, Room 18-N, 8:45 a.m.-5:15 p.m., Monday-Friday. Motion Picture, Sound & Video Research Room, National Archives Building, Room G-13, 8:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday- Friday. Electronic Records Research Room, National Archives Building, Room 18-E, 8:45 a.m.-5:15 p.m., Monday-Friday. Cartographic and Architectural Records Research Room, Pickett Street Annex, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. Suitland Annex Research Room, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday- Saturday. Rules for use of original records in research rooms appear on the back cover of this leaflet. National Archives Microfilm Publications Since the 1940s, the National Archives has been microfilming records to preserve fragile records and to make frequently used records more easily available. In addition to the records mentioned above that are most often used by genealogists, numerous records of all three branches of the federal government have been microfilmed. The National Archives' Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog (1990) is the most recent listing of more than 2,500 microfilm publications that are for sale from Publications Services (NEPS). Most National Archives microfilm publications are available for use in the Microfilm Research Room in the National Archives Building. In most cases, researchers are expected to use microfilmed copies of records that have been filmed, rather than the original records. * * * * * * * The National Archives Building in downtown Washington, DC, is the center of a nationwide network of research facilities operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). In addition to the two suburban annexes in the Washington area, NARA has regional archives, Presidential libraries, and federal records centers. National Archives Regional Archives The 12 regional archives preserve and make available for research federal records of enduring value that were created and maintained by federal agency field offices. Particularly prominent among these are records of the U.S. district courts and appeals courts, the Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Customs, and naval districts and shore establishments. Besides these original records, the regional archives have microfilm copies of many records frequently used by genealogists and of many records that are maintained in the Washington-area facilities. Regional archives holdings document national, regional, state, and local activities and interests and make each a national resource in a local setting. Hours of service vary slightly from region to region. Researcher cards are issued at all regional archives and are honored at all NARA facilities except Presidential libraries. Research room regulations are generally similar to those in the National Archives Building but also vary slightly, depending on the physical facilities of each regional archives. As in the National Archives Building, researchers are urged to write or telephone before visiting a regional archives. Further information on regional archives is available from: Regional Archives System (NNA) National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 202-501-5340 The addresses and telephone numbers of the regional archives are: National Archives-New England Region 380 Trapelo Road Waltham, MA 02154 617-647-8100 National Archives-Northeast Region Building 22, Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne, NJ 07002-5388 201-823-7252 National Archives-Mid Atlantic Region 9th & Market Streets, Room 1350 Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-597-3000 National Archives-Southeast Region 1557 St. Joseph Avenue East Point, GA 30344 404-763-7477 National Archives-Great Lakes Region 7358 South Pulaski Road Chicago, IL 60629 312-581-7816 National Archives-Central Plains Region 2312 East Bannister Road Kansas City, MO 64131 816-926-NARA National Archives-Southwest Region 501 West Felix Street [building address] P.O. Box 6216 [mailing address] Fort Worth, TX 76115 817-334-5525 National Archives-Rocky Mountain Region Building 48, Denver Federal Center [building address] P.O. Box 25307 [mailing address] Denver, CO 80225 303-236-0818 National Archives-Pacific Southwest Region 24000 Avila Road, 1st. Floor [building address] P.O. Box 6719 [mailing address] Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-6719 714-643-4242 National Archives-Pacific Sierra Region 1000 Commodore Drive San Bruno, CA 94066 415-876-9009 National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region 6125 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115 206-526-6507 National Archives-Alaska Region 654 West Third Avenue, Room 012 Anchorage, AK 99501 907-271-2441 Presidential Libraries Presidential libraries provide another resource for research in the National Archives and Records Administration. The Office of Presidential Libraries administers the following libraries: Herbert Hoover Library Parkside Drive, P.O. Box 488 West Branch, IA 52358 319-643-5301 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library 259 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538 914-229-8114 Harry S. Truman Library 1200 North McKoy Street Independence, MO 64050 816-833-1400 Dwight D. Eisenhower Library Southeast Fourth Street Abilene, KS 67410 913-263-4751 John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library Columbia Point Boston, MA 02125 617-929-4500 Lyndon Baines Johnson Library 2313 Red River Street Austin, TX 78705 512-482-5137 Gerald R. Ford Library 1000 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2114 313-668-2218 Jimmy Carter Library One Copenhill Avenue Atlanta, GA 30307-1498 404-331-3942 Reagan Presidential Materials Staff 9055 Exposition Drive Los Angeles, CA 90034 213-215-2125 Before President Reagan's term, the papers of each President were considered personal property and were donated to the federal government. The Presidential Records Act of 1978 governs official papers of Presidents created after January 20, 1981. President Nixon's Presidential materials are governed by the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974. These materials are being processed for public access as specified in the Nixon Regulations (36 CFR 1275) by the Nixon Presidential Materials Staff located in the Pickett Street Annex in Alexandria, VA, telephone 703-755-6498. For information about holdings, research procedures, and hours of operation for individual Presidential libraries or for the Nixon project, call or write to a specific library or to: Office of Presidential Libraries (NL) National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 202-501-5700 Federal Records Centers A major service provided by NARA to other agencies of the federal government is the storage of millions of cubic feet of noncurrent federal records in federal records centers (FRCs) around the nation. These are records that are no longer needed by agencies in day-to-day business but that must be kept for scheduled periods of time. Ultimately, those of enduring value will be sent to the National Archives and those not of enduring value will be destroyed. Because legal responsibility for records in the FRCs belongs to the agencies that sent the records to the centers, research in these records is limited to persons who have secured written permission from the agency whose records they wish to examine. One specialized records center is the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO, which holds federal civilian personnel files and military personnel files for veterans with military service roughly since the Spanish-American War. Access to these personnel records is restricted. Further information about FRCs is available from: Office of Federal Records Centers (NC) National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 202-653-8450 General Information Leaflets General Information Leaflets available from Publications Services (NEPS), National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408. 2. Regulations for the Public Use of Records in the National Archives 3. Select List of Publications of the National Archives and Records Administration 5. Using Records in the National Archives for Genealogical Research 13. Ordering Reproductions from the National Archives 17. Citing Records in the National Archives of the United States 19. The Washington National Records Center 22. Regional Branches of the National Archives 26. Cartographic and Architectural Branch 28. Looking for an Out-of-Print U.S. Government Publication? 33. Motion Pictures & Sound Recordings in the National Archives Research Room Rules 1. Personal Property Restrictions: No overcoats, raincoats, hats, personal copying equipment, briefcases, fountain pens, pads, or blank notepaper or notecards are permitted in research rooms where original documents are used. Free lockers are provided, and blank notecards and notepaper are furnished by the National Archives. 2. Exceptions to the personal property restrictions may be granted by the research room staff for hand-held wallets or coin purses, hand-held cameras that utilize natural light, typewriters, personal computers, and tape recorders. 3. Notes, references, lists of records being consulted, or other materials essential to research work must be approved and stamped by the research room staff to indicate that they are your property. 4. Records are delivered with a green slip attached. Keep the slip attached. It is needed for refiling the records. 5. Make no marks of any kind on records. 6. Keep unbound records in their original order. 7. Use records from only one file at a time. 8. Replace records removed from a file in the same order and facing in the same direction as originally received. 9. Place nothing on top of the records. Take notes on paper or cards placed beside the records, not on them. 10. Do not use a fountain pen; use a ballpoint or felt-tip pen or a pencil. 11. Place all records back into the file unit before leaving your study station temporarily. When you have finished using records, return them to the research room attendant. 12. Do not smoke, eat, or drink in research rooms. National Archives and Records Administration General Information Leaflet Number 30 Revised 1990