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The agency often works closely with scholars to facilitate their studies.

History

Interior of the National Archives

Originally, each branch and agency of the U.S. government was responsible for maintaining its own documents, which often resulted in the loss and destruction of records. Congress established the National Archives Establishment in 1934 to centralize federal record keeping, with the Archivist of the United States as its chief administrator. The National Archives was incorporated into the General Services Administration in 1949, but in 1985 it was made an independent agency as NARA (National Archives and Records Administration).

Most of the documents in the care of NARA are in the public domain, as works of the federal government are excluded from copyright protection. However, some documents that have come into the care of NARA from other sources may still be protected by copyright or donor agreements.[3] NARA also stores classified documents and its Information Security Oversight Office monitors and sets policy for the U.S. government's security classification system.

NARA's holdings are classified into "record groups" reflecting the governmental department or agency from which they originated. The records include paper records, microfilmed records, still pictures, motion pictures, and electronic media.

Many of NARA's most requested records are frequently used for research in genealogy. This includes census records from 1790 to 1930, as well as ships passenger lists and naturalization records.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the agency's grant-making arm, awards funds to state and local governments, public and private archives, colleges and universities, and other nonprofit organizations to preserve and publish historical records. Since 1964, the NHPRC has awarded some 4,500 grants.

2006 controversy over reclassification

Main article: U.S. reclassification program

In March 2006, it was revealed by the Archivist of the United States in a public hearing that a memorandum of understanding between Collins= and various government agencies existed to "reclassify", i.e., withdraw from public access, certain documents in the name of national security, and to do so in a manner such that researchers would not be likely to discover the process.[4]

Facilities and exhibition

National Archives (building)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The National Archives building Constitution Avenue façade

National Archives and Records Administration is located in District of Columbia

Location: Constitution Ave. between 7th and 9th Sts., NW
Nearest city: Washington, D.C.
Coordinates: 77°01′22.71″W / 38.8927806°N 77.022975°W / 38.8927806; -77.022975Coordinates: 77°01′22.71″W / 38.8927806°N 77.022975°W / 38.8927806; -77.022975
Architect: John Russell Pope
Added to NRHP: May 27, 1971
NRHP Reference#: 71001004

National Archives Building

The National Archives Building, known informally as Archives I, located north of the National Mall on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., opened as its original headquarters in 1935. It holds the original copies of the three main formative documents of the United States and its government: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It also hosts a copy of the 1297 Magna Carta confirmed by Edward I.[5] These are displayed to the public in the main chamber of the National Archives, which is called the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. The National Archives Building also exhibits other important American historical documents such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as collections of photography and other historically and culturally significant American artifacts.

Once inside the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, there are no lines to see the individual documents and visitors are allowed to walk from document to document as they wish. For over 30 years the National Archives have forbidden flash photography but the advent of digital cameras with automatic flashes have made the rules increasingly difficult to enforce. As a result, all filming, photographing, and videotaping by the public in the exhibition areas will be prohibited beginning on February 25, 2010.[6]

National Archives at College Park

NARA facility near the University of Maryland, College Park.

Because of space constraints, NARA opened a second facility, known informally as Archives II, in 1994 near the University of Maryland, College Park campus. Largely because of this proximity, NARA and the University of Maryland engage in cooperative initiatives.[7] The College Park campus includes an archaeological site listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[8]

Affiliated facilities

The National Archives Building in downtown Washington contains record collections such as all existing federal census records, ships passenger lists, military unit records from the American Revolution up to the Philippine-American War, records of the Confederate government, the Freedmen's Bureau records, and pension and land records.

There are also ten Affiliated Archives locations across the U.S. which hold, by formal, written agreement with NARA[9], accessioned records.

Regional facilities

There are fourteen facilities across the country with research rooms and archival holdings and microfilms of documents of federal agencies and courts pertinent to each region, and two major facilities in St. Louis, Missouri which comprise the National Personnel Records Center.[10]

Presidential libraries

NARA also maintains the Presidential Library system, a nationwide network of libraries for preserving and making available the documents of U.S. presidents since Herbert Hoover. The Presidential Libraries include:

Libraries and museums have been established for other presidents, but they are not part of the NARA presidential library system, and are operated by private foundations, historical societies, or state governments, including the William McKinley, Rutherford Hayes, Calvin Coolidge, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson libraries. For example, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is owned and operated by the state of Illinois.

The broad range of material which NARA preserves at the Presidential libraries is exemplified by the President's VH-3A "Sea King" helicopter at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Public-private partnerships

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The National Archives aims to make its holdings more widely available and more easily accessible by entering into public-private partnerships. In 2006, NARA announced a joint venture with Google to digitize and offer NARA video online. This pilot program represents an evolutionary step for the National Archives to achieve its goal of becoming an archive without walls, as explained in the NARA press release. This innovative partnership is just one step in a strategic plan that emphasizes the importance of providing access to records anytime, anywhere and is one of the initiatives that NARA is launching to expand opportunities for the public to be able to view NARA's collections.[11]

   
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