Archives are a wonderful and fascinating thing. I found my way into the library field because of my interest in archives. I choose my graduate school based on the fact that I could earn my Masters in Library and Information Science with a, what my school called a “special option,” in archives. This meant that I was able to take some archival classes and get some good hands-on experience.
Archives are ‘the non-current records of individuals, groups, institutions, and governments that contain information of enduring value’ (Society of American Archivists). These records can include letters, papers, photographs, video, diaries, etc. Researchers can find archival repositories in many locations, including, but not limited to, government organizations, corporations, hospitals, colleges and schools, and museums.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) hold billions of the Federal Government’s records in multiple buildings throughout the county. Because of the vast amounts of information, it is impossible to make all of the records accessible online. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to see some of the records they have! Lucky for us, NARA has developed Digital Vaults, digitizing some of the most interesting pieces of their collection for us to view in the comfort of our homes (or local libraries).
The site allows you to browse through images of records. When you find one you like, you can click on it to see more information about the document. It will also provide you with ‘tags’ which are keywords or subjects that are associated with the record. These tags will let you search the digital vault for other like documents and records. There is also a search option to let you type in your own keywords or subjects that interest you. There is a ‘back track’ feature to see all the documents you have viewed (which is really nice if you’ve been on the website for awhile!).
The Nashua Public Library has digitized some of its own photograph collection which can be viewed online here.
Check out the Digital Vaults and comment about some of the features of you like or what image you like best!