HIST 250 Historical Methods Class Guide

This video will help orient you to the process of researching at the National Archives:

More basic information about researching at the National Archives can be found here: https://www.archives.gov/dc/researcher-info

Before starting your research, please ensure that you have read up on the rules for the National Archives. This can be a daunting task as there are many!

Some that I'd like to highlight for you:

• A researcher identification card is required to use any archival materials or equipment at NARA facilities.
  • You must have a valid government-issued ID to receive your registration card.
• Some personal belongings are allowed in the Research Rooms, such as a handheld wallet and coin purse for carrying currency and coins, credit cards, keys, driver’s license, and other identification cards. These items are subject to inspection when researchers enter or leave the Research Rooms.
  • Items allowed in the research room can be found here: https://www.archives.gov/research/research-room-guidance#Persons
  • Note: The only AUTHORIZED bags allowed in the Research Rooms are clear (see-through) plastic bags that are 10" x 10" or smaller and used to carry electronics and authorized medications. Anything other than a 10" x 10" clear (see-through) plastic bag (such as: folders, bags, backpacks, fanny packs, purses, money belts, boxes, brief cases, suit cases, satchels, equipment bags, laptop cases, etc.) are NOT AUTHORIZED.
• Records should not be placed on the researcher’s lap, on a chair, or on the floor. Records should not be handled or read in mid-air. Records must be laid flat and viewed on top of a Research Room table.
• Researchers may not pass or share documents from the same box to or with another researcher.

The most extensive list of rules can be found here: https://www.archives.gov/research/research-room-rules

From the National Archives website:

The National Archives Building in Washington, DC (Archives 1), houses historical records of all three branches of the U.S. Government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial). Our holdings include: 

• Records of the U.S. Congress (U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives);
• Records of the U.S. Supreme Court and the District Court for the District of Columbia;
• Pre-World War I military service records for U.S. Army and Confederate veterans;
• Pre-World War II vessel and station log books for the U.S. Navy; and
• Headquarters-level records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the U.S. Census Bureau (among others).

An additional overview of textual records found at the National Archives can be found here: https://www.archives.gov/dc/research/textual-records

I highly recommend searching the Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States to get a better sense of the kinds of things you will find within the National Archives. While it is not fully updated to reflect what you will actually find in the NARA catalog, it will greatly help to grasp what you might find.

To do this:

1. Search for your keyword in the top search box.
2. Browse the contents listed (using CTRL+F is highly recommended)
3. If there are resources of interest, select "Overview of Records Locations" which will show you which archive the materials are located in.

For example, if you search for "Korean War," you will be led to the General Record of the Department of State. Should you review the records locations, you will find that they are mainly found within the Archives 2 Building in College Park, MD.

Browsing the various Executive Agencies might also be helpful in leading you to topics of interest.

Consider also looking at History Hub, which is a community supported by the National Archives to crowdsource research requests and findings within the National Archives.

Access the NARA Catalog

1. Search for your keywords deliberately using Boolean operators and other search tools
   1. For example: "korean war" AND education
2. IMPORTANT: Before looking at any results, use the limiter on the left-hand side to limit your results in the "Location of Archival Materials" dropdown to materials found only at "National Archives, DC - Textual Reference"
   1. You can also select this using the Advanced Search option
   2. Note: the filters used on the NARA catalog are not sticky, so you will need to set them every time you change your keywords
3. Explore your results and look for the following things:
   1. Is it available online/digitized? If not, it is only viewable in the Reading Room. You will find this error if it is not digitized:
      
   2. Is the access restricted, partially restricted, or unrestricted?
      
   3. Double check that the resource is available at the "National Archives at Washington"
      
4. Begin to explore the record:
   1. What kind of record are you looking at—a record group, a record series, file unit, item, etc.?
      1. If you are looking at a series, scroll towards the bottom of the record to determine what boxes can be explored.
      2. What are the file types within the record—textual, photograph, map, chat, artifact, etc.
   2. What subjects and references are listed in the record? Are any of them of interest?
   3. Is it in boxes or has it been transformed into microfilm? Microfilm records will include information on an "Additional Resource" of Microfilm Publication at the very bottom of the record. You will likely need to use the resource in the Microfilm Reading Room rather than looking through the loose leaf pages in the Reading Room. The record will look like this:
      
5. Once you identify a work, find and save the National Archives Identifier (NAID) for later reference. The identifier will look like this: 
   

Once you've found something of note (or many somethings), make sure to reach out to the reference staff so that they can get your resources for you, as well as assist you in finding other items of interest. To email them, you want to reach out to archives1reference@nara.gov. 

Here are things that you should include in the email:

• The NAID Control Number for your resource
  • Other identifying information (record title)
  • If your item is part of a series, more information on what box or file you would like to review
• The date and approximate time of your visit
• If you are interested, a request for other resources of interest similar to what you have identified (librarians love to help find resources)
• A hearty thank you

Ensure that you place your request one week in advance, minimum.