In the name of synergy, over on the From the Archivist I am blogging about the importance of utilizing government records and some tips to go about finding the right government records for your research. So here at the Archives I wanted to highlight some of the best resources available around the open web to find historical government records.
Since only a very small number of records are actually available from the National Archives online, there are other sites that have made available records online where the physical copies are kept and maintained by the National Archives. Most of these records have been released through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or available through the various agencies themselves.
Presidential Libraries and Museums
A prime example of this are the Presidential Library websites. They offer a wealth of government records and historical materials specific to U.S. presidents and their administrations. These include official papers and correspondence, any speeches they may have made, photographs, policy documents, staff records, and other important information.
Government Attic makes available a large amount of Federal Government records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. You can find thousands upon thousands of historical documents and reports.
The FBI Vault is the FBI’s own FOIA library that contains thousands of records. Included are many documents related to many of the FBI’s most notorious moments included their illegal surveillance of prominent Civil Rights activists and Anti-War protestors, as well as other topics.
Defense Technical Information Center
The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) provides access to a large database of reports and studies dealing with America’s Armed Forces. These range from Research and Development reports to studies analyzing military operations. It is an invaluable repository supplying insight into America’s military.
Government Documents Subject Page
The Library’s Government Documents subject page has a list of links to the government records of the three branches of the United States Government: Executive (including the various agencies under the Executive Branch), Congressional, and Judicial. Through these sites you can get access to more recent government records.
Outside of Federal records, the individual state archives house a diverse range of government records. These may encompass laws, regulations, and legal decisions, as well as correspondence, reports, and meeting minutes from the state government agencies. Many state archives will have more extensive online collections than the National Archives and are a great resource for finding more local government records.
FamilySearch has a vast repository of state and local primary source records available. These records cover nearly the entire breadth of the history from the arrival of the first Europeans on to the 21st century. Most of these records have not been indexed and are in the form of digitized microfilm rolls. You can access these files through the Search Historical Records by Place page, where you will find an easy-to-use map feature to select the country you want to see records from. Clicking on the United States will take you to a list of the states.
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