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Greetings from the National Archives’ flagship building in Washington, DC,
which sits on the ancestral lands of the Nacotchtank peoples.
I’m David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States.
Long before the United States was a nation, record keepers understood
the importance of keeping records.
Starting with the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War,
the government was creating records.
As the bureaucracy grew, so did the amount of records.
Documents were piling up all over Washington in damp garages, basements,
Finally in the 1920s, Congress approved funds for a “Hall of Records,”
which became the National Archives Building in the mid-1930s.
Congress established the National Archives to centralize federal record keeping.
Our core mission is the same as it was
was the day it was created in 1934.
We collect, protect, and provide access to the most important government records.
We make the records available so that the American public can
hold its government accountable and learn from our past.
We keep about two to three percent of all of the records
created by the government each year.
But they are the ones with long-term historic or legal interest.
Today that collection translates into over 15 billion sheets of paper,
44 million photographs,
miles and miles of video and film,
and more than 6 billion electronic records—the fastest growing record form.
We serve customers at 44 locations all over the country,
not just in the Washington area.
This includes our massive National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis,
presidential libraries, and regional archives.
We are committed to the preservation of original records
as they provide us with important information about our material culture
and give a tangible connection to our history.
This can be a challenging time to find resources for preserving original records,
when digitization, electronic records preservation, and providing online access
can absorb so many of our resources.
The National Archives’ Preservation Strategy shows our commitment
to preserve the vast holdings that document our nation’s historic record
on paper by expanding our paper-based treatment services.
Within our Preservation Programs Division,
we have elevated Heritage Science Research and Testing to its own branch
so that the National Archives can continue to provide leadership
in scientific-based preservation guidance
essential for our own records and those of other archival institutions.
Our experienced conservators are internationally recognized experts
in the treatment of historic papers.
Even during the pandemic, Preservation Programs staff
conserved Revolutionary War pensions to preserve these historic documents
and support their digitization for wider access.
Also, they treated military service papers so veterans
and their families could claim needed benefits.
Complementing the hands-on work of conservators and technicians,
the National Archives uses preventive preservation strategies
such as environmental management, holdings maintenance,
and preservation policies to ensure the safety of all our records.
Science, conservation treatment, and sensible management are
the three-pronged approach of the National Archives preservation program.
I personally know the value and connection to history that original records can convey.
I see preservation of original records as a fundamental mission
of the National Archives and support it as such
along with our goals of providing digital access to these records
and preserving the newer electronic records of our country.
Narrator>> From its founding, the federal government of the United States
has documented its policies and decisions,
but for almost 150 years it had virtually no method or
centralized place to safeguard these historically important records.
During those years, federal records were kept in various basements, attics,
abandoned buildings, and other ill-suited structures,
often with no security or concern for environmental conditions.
In many instances, fires, water damage, mold and pests
destroyed important documents, reinforcing the need for a national archive.
In 1926, Congress approved the construction of a
National Archives building in Washington DC as part of the Public Buildings Act.
The building was dedicated by the departing President Hoover in early 1933
and in 1934, President Roosevelt signed the final legislation
establishing the National Archives as a federal agency.
Although the National Archives Building was fully completed in 1937,
it did not yet hold the documents most closely associated with it:
the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
The architect John Russell Pope had designed the Rotunda as a shrine
for these documents, but two were still in the custody of the Library of Congress.
In 1952, after years of negotiation between the Archivist of the United States
and the Librarian of Congress,
the Constitution and Declaration were finally transferred to the National Archives,
joining the Bill of Rights, which had already been transferred in 1938.
The three national treasures became collectively known as the Charters of Freedom.
They have secured the rights of the American people for more than two hundred thirty years,
and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.
On December 15, 1952, Bill of Rights Day, Chief Justice Vinson
presided over the formal enshrining ceremony
attended by President Truman and other dignitaries.
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Chief Justice Vinson>> A Stranger in our midst,
Ignorant of our institutions
might think it odd that we would wax so eloquent
over some ancient scraps of paper.
But the fact is, these papers
are not historical heirlooms,
They are the living, organic law of the land.
Narrator>> The National Archives is the keeper of records from
all three branches of the federal government:
the executive, legislative, and judicial.
We don’t however, have ALL the records ever created –
in fact, only about 2–4% of all records an agency creates
get designated as permanent.
Which records we accession depends on when the records were created,
the branch that created them,
and the legal framework that governs them.
The vast majority of federal records have been and continue to be generated
from within the Executive Branch - the Department of State for example.
These agencies generate a LOT of records and need
a responsible, legal way to dispose of the obsolete ones
with no continuing value.
At the same time agencies need to identify those that
have permanent historical value and should be accessioned by the National Archives.
The permanent holdings of the National Archives date back to
to the latter half of the 18th century,
and includes but is not limited to the following:
Millions of maps, charts, and architectural drawings
more than 40 million still pictures and graphics,
billions of electronic records,
over half a million reels of motion picture film,
hundreds of thousands of video and sound recordings,
more than one million artifacts,
and over 15 billion pages of textual records, the vast majority of which are paper.
Therefore, despite not having all the records the government has ever produced,
there is still plenty of material to discover and examine.
NARA’s holdings are preserved and accessible at over 40 locations across the United States.
But thanks to our websites and online catalog, you do not have to visit Washington, DC,
or any of our other facilities,
in order to conduct research at the National Archives.
Because the quantity of NARA’s paper-based holdings is so vast,
with some records dating from before the founding of our Republic,
there exists a special appreciation and awareness
within our agency to the needs of these priceless records.
The responsibility for the care and treatment of paper records,
be they documents, maps, drawings, posters, artworks or bound volumes,
rests with the Conservation Branch in the Washington, DC area,
and with the St. Louis Preservation and Conservation Branch,
two components of Preservation Programs Division.
Here are a few projects that the branches have been involved in…
NARA's mission to enable access greatly benefits genealogists
searching for key information about family history.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, illustrated family records
or Frakturs were created to document one’s family tree.
Frakturs were often made by professional artists
and NARA is fortunate to have about one hundred of these in its holdings.
This illustrated family record records the 1784 marriage of John and Jane Tomlin
and the birth of their five children.
After the Revolutionary War, many women were widowed and
the government offered pensions to those who could
prove their relationship with a deceased soldier.
Jane Tomlin turned over her family record to the government
to receive an $80 a year pension.
This record has a horizontal tear going through the entire booklet.
At some point in its history, someone repaired the tear using thread.
The Conservation Branch was asked to treat this record for display.
To better align the text, the thread was loosened
and the top and bottom halves of the booklet were repositioned.
The tear was reinforced with mending paper and wheat starch paste.
To fill an area of loss in the document, a piece of mending paper similar in weight
to the original document is selected.
Sometimes the inserted fill is toned to closely match the color
of the original document.
This is a step that conservators will often take
when a document is selected for exhibition.
If the color of the mends blends well with the original
the person viewing the document on display is less likely
to be distracted by obvious repairs to it.
Instead, the attention will focus on the content of the record
and the overall object as it was created by the Fraktur artist.
We are now at the Preservation and Conservation Branch
of the St. Louis National Personnel Records Center.
The main collections we work with have acute preservation problems
due to a disastrous 1973 fire at the previous facility.
An estimated 18 million service members’ files were lost.
Six and a half million files were salvaged
but most had extensive fire, water and mold damage.
These surviving files, known as “B files” are kept in a specially designed stack area.
Records that need treatment for safe access remain with Preservation.
They are surface cleaned, and, if necessary, humidified to remove distortions.
Humidification, once done passively with trays, has improved by using
a dome and ultrasonic humidifier, surrounding the pages with vapor.
Mending improvements include a shift from hand-made wheat starch paste
applied to mending paper as needed, to pre-made re-moistenable and heat set tissues.
These prepared tissues allow technicians to focus on treatment versus preparation.
For records that require special handling but not full treatment,
overhead scanners can capture information on slightly distorted pages
without the risk of further damage.
Perhaps most innovative is our Content Recovery scanning.
Because inks burn at a higher temperature than paper,
traces of carbon from inks on a burned area may remain.
Through the use of Infrared light filters and photography software,
we can pick up that text, reveal it and reestablish information
that previously was deemed lost.
NARA's Conservation and Heritage Science Branches
are frequently asked to aid in investigations involving NARA holdings.
In 1998, a researcher secretly altered an original document signed by Abraham Lincoln.
The year written on the document, April 14, 1864,
had been changed to April 14, 1865,
thereby making it appear President Lincoln signed the document
the day of his assassination.
The discovery of this document - a pardon of a Civil War soldier charged with desertion -
was recognized as one of Lincoln's last great acts
and was greeted with a keen interest in the historical community.
It also gave the researcher long-sought-after notoriety
as a Lincoln expert since he "discovered" the pardon.
Over time, suspicions grew regarding the integrity of this document
and in 2011, NARA investigators interviewed the researcher.
He confessed to altering the date on the pardon.
A NARA Senior Conservator was asked to determine
if the forged date could be reversed and returned to the original date.
The document was carefully examined using various wavelengths
of light and magnification.
Abrasions to the paper surface were evident
where the researcher attempted to remove
all traces of the original number 4.
Conservation discovered many differences in
in how the document appeared visually,
while a Heritage Science chemist searched for material differences
between the original ink and that used in the forgery.
Scientific instruments revealed the inks were of similar chemical composition
and both iron gall inks, but they were not identical recipes.
Unfortunately, the fragility of the paper and the permanence of the ink
prevented the number from being returned to its original state.
Documentation housed with the pardon explains this story
and the researcher has been banned from NARA for life.
The Conservation Branch works collaboratively with Exhibits & Public Programs
to safely display NARA's treasured documents.
This is behind-the-scenes activity in the conservation laboratory
to prepare the Emancipation Proclamation for a rare public viewing.
Due to its fragile condition and historical significance,
the document is kept in a custom protective housing.
The Emancipation is in a folio format
with text written on both sides of multiple sheets.
Therefore, all pages cannot be displayed at one time.
Each year, pages are alternated for exhibition to reduce damage from light exposure.
The Emancipation Proclamation was written on machine-made paper,
which is typical of the Industrial Revolution.
Holes punched near the fold on the left margin were originally threaded with ribbon.
At some point in the past, the ribbon was removed and the folio was taken apart.
The preliminary Emancipation Proclamation document,
also in NARA’s care,
shows what the original Emancipation may have looked like.
The ribbon is laced back through the folio
and is secured by the Presidential seal.
The Emancipation Proclamation is exhibited with a piece of alkaline paper
for support and between two pieces of polyester film.
Polyester adds a significant layer of protection
and support during handling.
When sealed on all four sides,
the polyester creates a protective micro-environment.
The document is boxed in its exhibition encapsulation and
and custom-made archival frame year-round, and in dark storage
for the majority of the year.
Within the many facilities of the National Archives
are countless original documents that tell the American story.
They are proof of the power of history as created by
the institutions and people who lived through it.
Our nation’s stories, of family and citizenship,
of war and diplomacy, of liberty and law,
of patriots and presidents is preserved here
at the National Archives.
These records ensure that the cost and privilege
of freedom will never be forgotten.
We welcome visitors from all over the world
to experience our vast holdings either in-person or online.
A rich and fulfilling experience awaits.
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