National Archives facilities

National Archives and Records Administration facilities

The United States National Archives and Records Administration maintains facilities and buildings housing its records and services across the country. Within the organization of the National Archives, the upkeep of its facilities falls under the National Archives Facilities and Property Management Office.

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Hi, I’m Karla. I am a graduate student. I have been using the Civil War records here at the National Archives for my own research and I’m going to show you how you can use the records yourselves. The research entrance is on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the Archives. You will need a photo ID to enter the building and once you go through security they’ll give you a yellow badge. Before you can gain access to the records you first have to come to the registration office and get a researcher’s card. It’s simple, free and easy to do. Go through the power point slides, and it will give you information about NARA’s rules and policies on how to use the records. You’ll have your picture taken and receive your researcher’s card. The next step is the Finding Aids Room. There are three subject matter experts who are here to help you with any questions that you may have. If the records you need are on microfilm it’s pretty much self-service and you can come to the microfilm room on the first floor. If the records are not on microfilm then you need to get the originals from the stacks. So you need to fill out a request slip. This is also called a “pull slip.” A consultant reviews your request. Records are pulled from the stacks five times a day and are delivered to the Central Research Room, room 203. Before you go into the research rooms you must place your belongings inside of one of the lockers on the first floor. You’re not allowed to take water, paper or your bags. No pens, no food. But you can bring computers, scanners and cameras upstairs. When you enter the researcher’s room, you must first hand your researcher’s card to the guard. And the guard will swipe you in. Next to the guard is a table full of paper and pencils for note taking. The research room will hold records for your use up to three days. Each time you retrieve them you initial the time and date on your pull slip. Before making copies, Archives staff will examine your records to make sure they can be safely copied. There are self-service scanners and copiers for a fee. When you finish for the day, your copies and personal property are inspected and placed in a locked green bag. When you leave the building a guard will unlock the green bag and give you the contents. The guard will also hand-search your personal bags. Good luck! And enjoy your time at the National Archives.

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.^[1] 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 Treaty, the Emancipation Proclamation, and 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 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 has been prohibited since February 25, 2010.^[2]

An Innovation Hub provides facilities for the public to access NARA documents and provide metadata.^[3] Historical records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are available for research at NARA's Center for Legislative Archives.^[4]

National Archives at 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 (8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001). Largely because of this proximity, NARA and the University of Maryland engage in cooperative initiatives.^[5] The College Park campus includes an archaeological site that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.^[6]

Washington National Records Center

The Washington National Records Center (WNRC), located in Suitland, Maryland, is a large warehouse-type facility which stores records still under the control of the creating federal agency. Said agencies pay a yearly fee for storage at the facility. In accordance with federal records schedules, documents at WNRC are transferred to the legal custody of the National Archives after a certain point (this usually involves a relocation of the records to College Park). Temporary records at WNRC are either retained for a fee or destroyed after retention times has elapsed. WNRC also offers research services and maintains a small research room.

National Personnel Records Center

Two offices in the St. Louis, Missouri area comprise the National Personnel Records Center.^[7]

Regional facilities

There are facilities across the country with research rooms, archival holdings, and microfilms of documents of federal agencies and courts pertinent to each region.

National Archives at Atlanta (Morrow, Georgia)^[9]
National Archives at Boston (Waltham, Massachusetts)^[10]
National Archives at Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
National Archives at Denver (Broomfield, Colorado)^[11]
National Archives at Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Texas)
National Archives at Kansas City (Kansas City, Missouri)
National Archives at New York City (Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York City, New York)
National Archives at Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
National Archives at Riverside (Perris, California)
National Archives at San Francisco (Leo J. Ryan Federal Building, San Bruno, California)
National Archives at Seattle (Seattle, Washington)

A regional office in Anchorage was closed in 2014 with records for the region transferred to Seattle.^[12] The Seattle facility was planned to be closed by a decision of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in January 2020, with records moved to California and Kansas City,^[13] but the decision was later revised by the Biden administration.^[14]

Federal Records Centers

Federal Records Centers (FRCs) exist in each region that house materials owned by federal government agencies. Federal Records Centers are not open for public research but, in many cases, may be housed in the same complex or building as a National Archives regional office.^[15] The federal records centers are also administratively divided into two archival divisions.^{[citation needed]}

Atlanta Federal Records Center (Ellenwood, Georgia)
Boston Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at Boston)
Chicago Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at Chicago)
Dayton Federal Records Center (Moraine, Ohio)
Denver Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at Denver)
Fort Worth Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at Fort Worth)
Kansas City Federal Records Center (SubTropolis, Kansas City, Missouri)^[16]
Kingsridge Federal Records Center (Miamisburg, Ohio)
Lee's Summit Federal Records Center (Lee's Summit, Missouri)
Lenexa Federal Records Center (Lenexa, Kansas)
Philadelphia Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at Philadelphia)
Pittsfield Federal Records Center (Pittsfield, Massachusetts)
Riverside Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at Riverside)
San Bruno Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at San Francisco)
Seattle Federal Records Center (colocated with the National Archives at Seattle)

The Director of the Federal Records Center Program is considered one of the primary office chiefs in the National Archives Executive for Agency Services. The federal records center program is headquartered at the National Archives at College Park. Both the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) and the Washington National Records Center (WNRC) are considered part of the federal records center program.

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 Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge libraries. For example, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is owned and operated by the state of Illinois.

Affiliated facilities

The National Archives Building in downtown Washington holds record collections such as all existing federal census records, ships' passenger lists, military unit records from the American Revolution 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 across the U.S. which hold, by formal, written agreement with NARA,^[17] accessioned records.

Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Pennsylvania State Archives, Bureau of Archives and History, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe, New Mexico
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Military Academy Archives, West Point, New York
University of North Texas Libraries, Denton, Texas
William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
Yellowstone National Park Archives, Wyoming

Beginning in 2012, the National Archives began storing closed (classified and privacy protected) records not open to the public, as well as certain lesser used records and files, at contracted storage facilities operated by the records management company "Iron Mountain".

References

^ "Magna Carta". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
^ "National Archives Announces New Ban on Photography" (Press release). January 26, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
^ "Innovation Hub". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
^ "About the Center for Legislative Archives". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
^ "Partnerships in Innovation - Conference Sponsors". NARA UMD 2008 Conference. 2008. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
^ "National Archives Site". National Park Service. August 22, 1996. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
^ "National Archives at St. Louis". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
^ "Official Personnel Folders (OPF), Archival Holdings and Access". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. October 19, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
^ "National Archives at Atlanta". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
^ "National Archives at Boston". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
^ "National Archives at Denver". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
^ Herz, Nathaniel (September 28, 2016). "National archives plans closure of Anchorage facility". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^ Lacitis, Erik (January 25, 2020). "'Terrible and disgusting': Decision to close National Archives at Seattle a blow to tribes, historians in 4 states". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
^ Lacitis, Erik (April 8, 2021). "Sale of National Archives in Seattle halted by Biden administration". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
^ "Visit Us". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
^ "Kansas City, MO Federal Records Center". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ "Affiliated Archives". Archives.gov. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2011.

This page was last edited on 16 January 2024, at 18:32

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