Today’s post is written by Archives II volunteer Jan Hodges. Do you know what a shellback ceremony is? Chances are that unless you’re a Navy man or a relative, you probably don’t. It’s a ritual conducted aboard ship after it crosses the equator. And not just any old ceremony–one that becomes part of the sailor’s permanent record. The Reference Unit [...]

Our guest blogger today is DeAnne Blanton, reference archivist at Archives I. The Archives I Reference Section is pleased to announce our in-house digitization project in honor of the Civil War sesquicentennial.  During the course of the next five years or so, the 2,750 volumes comprising the Collected Record Books of Various Executive, Legislative, and [...]

Today’s post is written by Adam Minakowski, an archives technician who works with researchers in College Park. Opening a box of records in the Textual Research Room at Archives II, you expect to file folders stuffed with typed or handwritten documents.  Sure, you’ll sometimes encounter log books, photos, and maps, but these are still paper-based [...]

So, what is in the RG 286 records and how should researchers approach diving in to world of USAID?  Most important is for researchers to have as much specific information as possible depending on how specific your research needs are.  Knowing specific offices, project names, beneficiary countries or regions, or any other relevant data that [...]