Nati onal Park Service Archives, Librarics, Elocation Records of the National Park Service [NPS] Page 1 of 26 Archives.gov Home Subject Index Contact Us FAQs Español GO Guide to Federal Records Research Guide to Federal Records Records of the National Park Service [NPS] GUIDE TO FEDERAL Print Page E-mail Page Bookmark Page RECORDS Search the Guide Records of the National Park Service [NPS] About the Guide Alphabetical Index to the (Record Group 79) Guide 1785-1990 Search ARC for Entries from this Statistical Summary of Overview of Records Locations Record Group Holdings by Record Group Number Record Groups by Topics Table of Contents RESEARCH AT THE 79.1 Administrative History NATIONAL ARCHIVES 79.2 Records of Predecessors of the National Park Service 1872-1937 Main Page 79.2.1 Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior Getting Started 79.2.2 Records of the War Department What's New? Visit Us Nationwide 79.3 Headquarters Records of the National Park Service 1878, 1905-64 Online Research Tools 79.3.1 General records and Aids 79.3.2 Records of NPS Directors New Accessions 79.3.3 Miscellaneous records Order Copies Hire a Researcher 79.4 Records of Operating Units of the National Park Service 1866-1957 (bulk 1933- Contact Us 47) 79.4.1 Records of the Branch of Engineering OFTEN-REQUESTED 79.4.2 Records of the Branch of Plans and Design RECORDS Genealogy 79.4.3 Records of the Branch of Forestry 79.4.4 Records of the Wildlife Division Veterans' Service Records 79.4.5 Records of the Land and Recreational Planning Division State Department and 79.4.6 Records of the Office of Chief Counsel Diplomacy 79.4.7 Records of the History Branch World War II Native Americans 79.5 Records of the Field Headquarters in San Francisco 1925-36 African Americans 79.6 Records of Regional Offices 1797-1988 Bankruptcy Records 79.6.1 Records of Region I Holocaust Era Assets 79.6.2 Records of Region II JFK Assassination 79.6.3 Records of Region III (Southwest Region) More Topics 79.6.4 Records of Region IV (Western Region) 79.6.5 Records of Region V and successor Northeast Region RESEARCH BY FORMAT 79.6.6 Records of the Pacific Northwest Region Electronic Records 79.6.7 Records of the National Capital Region Maps and Aerial Images 79.6.8 Records of the New York City Region Microfilm 79.7 Records of National Parks 1905-70 Motion Picture and Sound 79.7.1 Records of Acadia National Park, ME Photos, Posters, Pictures 79.7.2 Records of Big Bend National Park, TX Textual/Paper Records 79.7.3 Records of Canyonlands National Park, UT http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/079.html 8/3/2008 Records of the National Park Service [NPS] Page 2 of 26 79.7.4 Records of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM ORDER How to Order Copies of 79.7.5 Records of Crater Lake National Park, OR Records 79.7.6 Records of Denali National Park and Preserve, AK Forms for Ordering 79.7.7 Records of Grand Canyon National Park, AZ 79.7.7 Records of Grand Canyon National Park, AZ Washington, 79.7.8 Records of Grand Teton National Park, WY DC Area 79.7.9 Records of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC and TN 79.7.10 Records of Hot Springs National Park, AR 79.7.11 Records of Isle Royal National Park, MI 79.7.12 Records of Petrified Forest National Park, AZ Learn why Democracy 79.7.13 Records of Rocky Mountain National Park, CO Starts Here 79.7.14 Records of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND 79.7.15 Records of Wind Cave National Park, SD 79.7.16 Records of Yellowstone National Park, WY (chiefly)-ID-MT 79.7.17 Records of Yosemite National Park, CA 79.7.18 Records of Zion National Park, UT 79.8 Records of National Monuments 1934-73 Go to the Guide to Federal Records 79.8.1 Records of Aztec Ruins National Monument, NM Main Page 79.8.2 Records of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument, CO 79.8.3 Records of Colorado National Monument, CO 79.8.4 Records of Death Valley National Monument, CA 79.8.5 Records of Joshua Tree National Monument, CA 79.8.6 Records of Navajo National Monument, AZ 79.8.7 Records of Oregon Caves National Monument, OR 79.8.8 Records of Pipestone National Monument, MN 79.8.9 Records of Saguaro National Monument, AZ 79.8.10 Records of Salinas National Monument, NM 79.8.11 Records of Scotts Bluff National Monument, NE 79.8.12 Records of Statue of Liberty National Monument, NY 79.8.13 Records of Timpanogos Cave National Monument, UT 79.8.14 Records of Tonto National Monument, NM 79.8.15 Records of Tuzigoot National Monument, AZ 79.8.16 Records of White Sands National Monument, NM 79.9 Records of National Recreation Areas 1903-73 79.9.1 Records of Amistad National Recreation Area, TX 79.9.2 Records of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, OK 79.9.3 Records of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, AZ-NV 79.9.4 Records of Lake Texoma Recreation Area, OK/TX 79.9.5 Records of Millerton Lake National Recreation Area, CA 79.10 Records of National Military Battlefields, Parks, and Cemeteries 1865-1953 79.10.1 Records of Petersburg, VA, National Battlefield 79.10.2 Records of Shiloh National Military Park and Cemetery, TN 79.10.3 Records of Vicksburg National Military Park and Cemetery, MS 79.10.4 Records of Yorktown National Cemetery, VA 79.11 Records of Other National Park Administered Areas 1925-59, 1968-80 79.11.1 Records of the Andrew Johnson National Historical Site, TN 79.11.2 Records of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/079.html 8/3/2008 Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region format RS 79 NATIONAL ARCHAES PRELIMINARY INVENTORIES 1934 STATES UNITED DOCUMENTS FEB 28 Number 166 RECORDS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Compiled by Edward E Hill The National Archives National Archives and Records Service General Services Administration Washington : 1966 10: Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region INTRODUCTION The National Park Service was established supervised by the Department of Agriculture and in the Department of the Interior by an act of the War Department. August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535), and funds were There has been some confusion in distin- provided for its operation by an act of April 17, guishing between national parks and national mon- 1917 (40 Stat. 20). It was charged with admin- uments beyond the fact that national parks are istering the national parks and monuments as established by act of Congress and national mon- well as the Hot Springs Reservation in Arkansas uments by Presidential proclamation. The Park (made a national park in 1921). The 1916 act di- Service defines national parks as "spacious land rected the National Park Service to promote and areas essentially of primitive or wilderness char- regulate the use of national parks, monuments, acter which contain scenery and natural wonders and similar reservations in order to "conserve so outstanding in quality that their preservation the scenery and the natural and historic objects intact has been provided for by their having been and the wild life therein and to provide for the designated and set aside by the Federal Govern- enjoyment of the same in such manner and by ment for the benefit, enjoyment, and inspiration such means as will leave them unimpaired for of the people. It defines national monuments as the enjoyment of future generations. "nationally significant landmarks, structures, Before the establishment of the Service, park objects, or areas of scientific or prehistoric in- administration was under the direct supervision terest so designated by the Federal Government of the Secretary of the Interior. Most of the work for preservation and public use. Typical na- was performed by the Patents and Miscellaneous tional monuments are the Statue of Liberty, Fort Division until 1907 and thereafter by the Miscel- Sumter, the Petrified Forest, and the Gila Cliff laneous Section of the Office of the Chief Clerk. Dwellings. On June 4, 1914, Mark Daniels was appointed By Executive Order 6166 of June 10, 1933, General Superintendent and Landscape Engineer the Service was expanded and redesignated the of National Parks with headquarters in San Fran- Office of National Parks, Buildings, and Reser- cisco. On December 10, 1915, Daniels was re- vations. An act of March 2, 1934 (48 Stat. 389), placed by Robert B. Marshall, who was given the restored the name National Park Service. The title of Superintendent of National Parks with an expanded Service was in charge of the national office in Washington, D.C. Marshall resigned monuments formerly administered by the Forest December 31, 1916, and was not replaced. Ste- Service of the Department of Agriculture and the phen T. Mather, who as Assistant to the Secre- national monuments, national military parks, na- tary of the Interior since January 1915 had been tional battlefield parks and sites, and some na- particularly concerned with the national parks, tional cemeteries formerly administered by the was appointed the first Director of the National War Department. The Office of Public Buildings Park Service on May 16, 1917. and Parks of the National Capital, the Arlington The first public park, Yellowstone, was es- Memorial Bridge Commission, the Public Buil- tablished by an act of March 1, 1872 (17 Stat. dings Commission, the National Memorial Com- 32). There are at present 32 national parks. mission, and the Rock Creek and Potomac Park- An act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225), entitled way Commission were all abolished and their "An Act For the preservation of American anti- functions transferred to the Park Service. These quities, authorized the President to set apart changes put the Service in charge of all national by proclamation as national monuments lands parks and monuments and some other areas of owned or controlled by the United States contain- historical significance, Federal parks and most ing "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric Federal buildings in the District of Columbia, and structures, and other objects of historic or sci- some Federal buildings outside the District. In entific interest." Until 1933 such monuments 1939 the responsibility for public buildings was were administered by the Secretary of the De- transferred to the new Public Buildings Adminis- partment having jurisdiction over the areas con- tration of the Federal Works Agency. The parks cerned. Most monuments were administered by in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas the Department of the Interior, but some were that are designated as National Capital Parks are 1 Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region 2 INTRODUCTION still administered by the National Park Service. has continued to cooperate with and assist the An act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666), pro- States in the development of public park and rec- vided for the establishment of national historic reation-area facilities. sites, including some owned by private organiza- At first the central office of the National Park tions. (The act also established an Advisory Service was small. It included the Director, an Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buil- Assistant (later Associate) Director, a Chief Clerk, dings, and Monuments.) Other types of areas and an administrative and clerical staff. A position that have been established under the supervision tion of Field Assistant to the Director was estab- of the Service are: national historical parks, na- lished in 1920 and redesignated Assistant Director tional memorials, a national memorial park, na- (Field) in 1926. That position existed until 1929 tional parkways, national recreation areas, and when the incumbent, Horace M. Albright, became national seashores. Director of the National Park Service and was not The National Park Service, under the direc- replaced as Assistant Director (Field). tion of the Secretary of the Interior, is respon- The Engineering Division, established in 1917, sible for all aspects of park administration. was the first of several technical divisions. Others These include the establishment and enforcement were the Landscape Engineering (later Landscape of regulations for use, protection from fire and Architecture) Division (1918), Educational Divi- other dangers, regulation of concession operators, sion (1925), Forestry Division (1927), and Wild- investigation and recommendation of proposed life Division (1929). The names given are those new areas, land acquisition (including the ex- by which the divisions were most commonly known; tinguishment of private titles to land within park there were changes in their exact designations. boundaries), and construction and maintenance of The headquarters of these divisions were located roads and trails, buildings, and other structures. in different cities and parks in the West; and some Increasing emphasis has been placed on research of them were moved frequently. In 1927 a Field and educational work, known collectively as "in- Headquarters was established in San Francisco to terpretation. This work includes the manage- coordinate the work of the field divisions. All of ment of guided tours and lectures, the marking the division headquarters were then located either of nature trails, the maintenance of museums and in San Francisco or nearby Berkeley. Beginning libraries, and the preparation of publications and in 1930, eastern offices were established for some studies in history, archeology, natural history, of the divisions to supervise work in the eastern and wildlife. parks. In the same year the transfer of supervi- During the depression years the Civilian sion of technical activities from the Field Head- Conservation Corps and other emergency agencies quarters to the central office in Washington was provided funds for work in national park areas. begun. The Park Service was given technical supervision There were some specialized branches in the of CCC work in State and local park areas. A central office before 1930. They included a unit Park Service official served as the Interior De- concerned principally with administrative matters partment representative on the CCC Advisory that became the Branch of Operations in 1930; a Council. legal unit that developed into the Office of the In 1934 the recreational demonstration pro- Chief Counsel; and a Branch of Lands responsible ject program for the development of submarginal chiefly for the investigation of proposed park lands into recreation areas was initiated by the areas. The last-named was given many addi- Federal Emergency Relief Administration. In tional duties concerning emergency programs of 1935 the land-acquisition aspect of this program the depression, and its name was changed several was taken over by the Resettlement Administra- times. In this inventory it is called the Branch of tion, and the Park Service assumed the work of Recreation, Land Planning, and State Cooperation. developing the areas. By an Executive order of The Branch of Research and Education was estab- November 14, 1936, the Service was given full lished in the Washington office in 1930 (its name control of the program. Later, under the provi- also was changed several times); and the Educa- sions of an act of June 6, 1942 (56 Stat. 326), most tional Division and Wildlife Division in Berkeley of the recreational demonstration projects and were subordinated to it. In 1933 the headquarters lands were transferred to the States. of the Branch of Plans and Design, successor to Other programs in which the Service parti- the Landscape Architecture Division, was moved cipated were the Park, Parkway, and Recreation- from San Francisco to Washington. In November Area Study; the Historic Sites Survey; and the 1933 a Branch of Forestry was established in Historic American Buildings Survey. During Washington. The use of the term "Field Head- World War II the Service operated Civilian Public quarters" for the San Francisco office was discon- Service camps for conscientious objectors. It tinteed in 1935. When the Chief Engineer, head of receives-Pacitic NW Region INTRODUCTION 3 the Branch of Engineering (formerly the Engi- amount to 2, 806 cubic feet and are designated as neering Division), moved to Washington in 1937, Record Group 79, Records of the National Park the transfer process was completed. Duties of Service. Included are records of the Office of the technical divisions in the field that had not the Secretary of the Interior relating to national been transferred to Washington were assigned to parks and monuments, 1872-1916; records of the the regional offices that were then established. War Department relating to areas transferred to The organization of the Washington office the Park Service; general records of the Service; has undergone many changes. New branches and financial records; records of several officials; divisions were established for new or expanded records of the Office of the Chief Counsel; records activities. Although various consolidations, of some of the bran ches and other administrative separations, and name changes have occurred, units; records of Region I and the National Capi- the organization has remained on a functional tal Region; records of the Chesapeake and Ohio basis. Until 1938 heads of major branches were Canal Co. and its predecessor, the Potomac Co., usually designated Assistant Directors of the that were transferred to the Service after the Service; thereafter they were usually called Federal Government bought the canal in 1938; supervisors or chiefs. records of the commission for the celebration of In 1937 four regional offices were set up in the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of John Richmond, Omaha, Santa Fe, and San Francis- Marshall; records of the Battle of New Orleans co--each a small-scale replica of Washington sesquicentennial celebration commission; and headquarters, with a regional director, asso- records of the Jamestown-Williamsburg-York ciate director, and regional branch chiefs. This town celebration commission. Also included are arrangement has lasted. In 1955 a fifth regional cartographic and photographic records and sound office was established in Philadelphia, and in recordings maintained apart from the textual 1962 the National Capital Parks was made the records. Many records of regional offices and sixth region. The regional offices are now des- other field offices are kept in the several Federal ignated by their geographic areas: Southeast Records Centers and not in the National Archives. (Richmond), Midwest (Omaha), Southwest (Santa There are related records in other record Fe), Western (San Francisco), Northeast (Phila- groups. In Record Group 48, Records of the delphia), and National Capital (Washington). Office of the Secretary of the Interior, are addi- In 1939 the work and personnel of the Wild- tional records for the period from 1872 until 1917, life Division were transferred from the Service when the Secretary had immediate responsibility to the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Bio- for park administration, and for the period since logical Survey that were consolidated in 1940 to 1917, when the Secretary has had supervisory form the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Park control over the Park Service. War Department Service has continued to engage in wildlife work, records relating to the use of troops in national however. parks until 1919 and the administration of areas As a wartime measure, from August 1942 transferred to the National Park Service in 1933 until October 1947 the central office of the Ser- are in Record Group 77, Records of the Office of vice was located in Chicago. A liaison office, the Chief of Engineers; Record Group 92, Records with the Associate Director in charge, was main- of the Office of the Quartermaster General; Record tained in Washington. Group 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Of- Superintendents are in charge of the indivi- fice; Record Group 98, Records of United States dual parks; and custodians are in charge of most Army Commands; Record Group 107, Records of monuments. Park rangers are responsible for the Office of the Secretary of War; and Record protection against fire and other dangers and for Group 153, Records of the Office of The Judge the enforcement of park regulations. When ap- Advocate General (Army). propriate, historians, naturalists, engineers, or In Record Group 49, Records of the Bureau other technical personnel are assigned to indi- of Land Management, are records of the former vidual areas. From 1917 to 1937 park superin- General Land Office relating to park lands. In tendents were responsible only to the Director Record Group 42, Records of the Office of Public of the Service. Since 1937 they have been re- Buildings and Grounds, are records of the Office sponsible to the appropriate regional director. of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the Na- Occasionally several park areas were placed tional Capital and its predecessors and of com- under one superintendent, who was designated missions that were merged with the National as coordinating superintendent. Park Service in 1933. Records concerning the The records described in this inventory are administration of public buildings by the National those of the National Park Service that were in Park Service, 1933-39, are in Record Group 121, the National Archives on June 30, 1966. They Records of the Public Buildings Service. Records INTRODUCTION 4 concerning the activities of the Park Service in Records of the Bureau of Accounts (Treasury), the District of Columbia are in Record Group 66, and in Record Group 217, Records of the United Records of the Commission of Fine Arts, and States General Accounting Office. in Record Group 328, Records of the National In this inventory the entries for cartographic Capital Planning Commission. records were prepared by Laura E. Kelsay. The Records relating to programs conducted in entries for still pictures are based on information cooperation with other agencies are in the follow- supplied by John E. Maddox and those for motion ing record groups: Record Group 22, Records pictures and sound recordings, by Thomas A. of the Fish and Wildlife Service; Record Group Devan. 30, Records of the Bureau of Public Roads; Record Group 35, Records of the Civilian Con- Directors of the National Park Service servation Corps; Record Group 57, Records of the Geological Survey; Record Group 69, Records Name Date of Appointment of the Work Projects Administration; Record Group 90, Records of the Public Health Service; Stephen T. Mather May 16, 1917 Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service; Record Group 96, Records of the Farmers Home Horace M. Albright January 12, 1929 Administration; Record Group 135, Records of the Public Works Administration; and Record Arno B. Cammerer August 10, 1933 Group 187, Records of the National Resources Planning Board. Newton B. Drury August 20, 1940 Records relating to legislation concerning the Park Service are in Record Group 46, Rec- Arthur E. Demaray April 1, 1951 ords of the United States Senate, and in Record Group 233, Records of the United States House Conrad L. Wirth December 9, 1951 of Representatives. Fiscal records concerning park administration are in Record Group 39, George B. Hartzog, Jr. January 8, 1964 Reproducea at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR RELATING TO NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS, 1872-1916 Described below, in entries 1-4, are records related legislation; appropriations; rules and re- of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior re- gulations; surveys and boundaries; construction, lating to the administration of parks and monu- maintenance, use, and management of facilities; ments before the establishment of the National concessions to private operators; fire control; Park Service. They are records that were trans- protection of animals and scenic attractions; in- ferred to the National Park Service but were kept truders on park lands; claims of persons to land apart from the records created by the Service. or other resources in park areas; investigations; Other records of the Office of the Secretary were administrative matters; and many other subjects. merged with the records of the Park Service. For some parks there are subjects of special Most important of those are the records, 1907-16, importance, such as the protection of the buffalo removed from the central classified files of the at Yellowstone Park and the use of water from Office of the Secretary which are now in equiva- Yosemite Park by the city of San Francisco. lent series of records of the National Park Ser- Most of the letters have an endorsement on the vice (see entries 6 and 7). Other records, chief- back or on a covering sheet giving information ly copies of letters sent, 1872-1907, which could about the letter and the action taken on it. not be easily segregated are in Record Group 48, Arranged alphabetically by name of park and Records of the Office of the Secretary of the In- thereunder chronologically by date of receipt, terior. although some records on a particular subject or, infrequently, from a particular source are 1. LETTERS RECEIVED BY THE OFFICE OF grouped together. There are records for the THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR RE- following parks for the years indicated: Crater LATING TO NATIONAL PARKS. 1872-1907. Lake National Park, 1902-7; Hot Springs Reser- 37 ft. vation, 1877-1907; Mesa Verde National Park, Letters received mainly by the Patents and 1906-7; Mount Rainier National Park, 1900-1907; Miscellaneous Division of the Office of the Sec- Platt National Park (Sulphur Springs Reser- retary, but including some received by the Lands vation), 1901-7; Sequoia and General Grant and Railroads, Indian Territory, and other Di- National Parks, 1890-1907; Sully's Hill Park, visions. Included also, usually as enclosures, 1904-6; Wind Cave National Park, 1899-1907; are maps, plans, specifications, contracts, Yellowstone National Park, 1872-1907; and leases, bonds, bids, petitions, affidavits, memo- Yosemite National Park, 1890-1907. For some randa, copies of letters sent, photographs, news- parks a few documents are dated earlier or later paper clippings, printed documents, estimates, than the years indicated. At the end of the series vouchers, receipts, payrolls, financial state- are some records relating to the Casa Grande ments, and other records. Most of the letters Ruins (including monthly reports up to 1915), are from park superintendents, but there are various national monuments, proposed parks and also letters from the President, Members of monuments, antiquities, and other subjects. Congress, the War Department, the General Except during the earliest years, letters Land Office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the were assigned file numbers by the division of the Department of Agriculture, the Geological Survey, Office of the Secretary that handled them. forest rangers, special investigators, members Usually such numbers were assigned in order of of commissions, residents in and near park areas, receipt, beginning again each year, without sub- concession operators and applicants for conces- ject or other breakdown. Beginning in July 1905 sions, attorneys, applicants for employment, the Patents and Miscellaneous Division numbered members of conservation societies, and others. letters relating to parks and reservations separ- The letters concern establishment of parks and ately. Only a small proportion of the file 5 6 WAR DEPARTMENT numbers in any set were assigned to the letters registers, see entry 3. For the letters, see relating to one park, however. Some of the let- entry 1. Before July 1, 1905, letters concern- ters relating to Yellowstone National Park have ing parks and reservations were indexed as part been reproduced by the National Archives as part of the miscellaneous letters received by the Di- of Microfilm Publication 62. vision, and those indexes are among the records For registers and an index to letters re- of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior now ceived by the Patents and Miscellaneous Division in the National Archives (Record Group 48). concerning parks and reservations beginning in July 1905, see entries 2 and 3. Earlier letters 3. REGISTERS OF LETTERS RECEIVED BY received concerning parks and reservations were THE PATENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS DI- not registered and indexed separately, and the VISION RELATING TO NATIONAL PARKS registers and indexes for them are among the AND RESERVATIONS. 1905-7. 2 vols. records of the Office of the Secretary of the In- in. terior in the National Archives (Record Group Entries for individual letters give file number 48). The record copies of letters sent relating and heading, date of receipt, name and address to parks are also among the records of the Of- of writer, date and subject of letter, indication fice of the Secretary; they are in bound volumes of action taken, and often cross-references to and could not be segregated easily. Beginning related records. Arranged chronologically by about June 1907, the Office of the Secretary filed date of receipt. For an index, see entry 2. Most both incoming and outgoing correspondence under of the letters are among the records described a central filing system. Records filed under this in entry 1. Before July 1905 letters concerning system that later were transferred to the Na- parks and reservations were registered as mis- tional Park Service are described in entry 6. cellaneous letters received; and the registers Other correspondence of the Office of the Secre- are among the records of the Office of the Secre- tary relating to national parks before the Na- tary of the Interior now in the National Archives tional Park Service was established is included (Record Group 48). in the records of the Chief Clerk (entry 4). 4. RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF 2. INDEX TO LETTERS RECEIVED BY THE CLERK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE PATENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS DIVISION INTERIOR. 1887-1916. 1 ft. RELATING TO NATIONAL PARKS AND Correspondence, reports, memoranda, legal RESERVATIONS. 1905-7. 1 vol. 3 in. opinions, congressional documents, maps, and Gives years and file numbers of letters re- other records, mostly copies. Many of them re- ceived from individuals and offices and relating late to legislation and legal questions. Arranged to certain subjects. For letters relating to spe- alphabetically by name of park or other area with cific parks and some other subjects there is a some general records arranged by subject. For further breakdown by subject. Black ink is used most of the records of the Office of the Secretary for file references to letter writers and red ink, relating to national parks before the establish- for references to subjects. The entries are ar- ment of the National Park Service, see entries ranged alphabetically by name or subject. For 1 and 6. RECORDS OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT RELATING TO NATIONAL PARKS, 1892-1937 5. WAR DEPARTMENT RECORDS. 1892-1937. ords were transferred to the Service about 1937. 36 ft. There are records from the Office of the Chief of Included are correspondence, memoranda, Engineers, the Office of the Quartermaster Gene- narrative and statistical reports, historical ral, the Office of the Quartermaster Supply Offi- summaries, copies of contracts and leases, esti- cer, quartermaster offices in corps areas, quar- mates, specifications, bids, requisitions, pur- termaster depots, and from park officials. They chase orders, sales bills, vouchers, time sheets, relate to the establishment of areas, acquisition payrolls, maps, plans, photographs, clippings, of land, construction (especially of monuments and congressional documents relating to mili- and markers), restoration, maintenance, supplies tary parks, cemeteries, monuments, and other and equipment, personnel, and other subjects. areas that were under the supervision of the War Arranged alphabetically by name of area with some Department until they were transferred to the general records at the end, thereunder by office National Park Service in 1933. Most of the rec- of origin, and thereunder according to the filing Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region GENERAL 7 system of the office--usually a modification of classified files of the Park Service (entry 7). the decimal classification system of the For field records of areas under War Depart- Quartermaster Corps. Some War Department ment supervision, see entries 105-113, 115, records have been interfiled with the central 119, and 120. RECORDS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE GENERAL RECORDS graph service, timber, travel, troops, vouchers, water supply, and wild animals. For many of the 6. CENTRAL FILES. 1907-39. 163 ft. headings there are subheadings, also arranged Included are letters received and copies of alphabetically. The individual documents under a letters sent by the Office of the Secretary of the heading or subheading are arranged chronologi- Interior until 1917 and thereafter by the Park cally. A complete list of subject headings and Service, memoranda, narrative and statistical subheadings with the years covered by each is reports, contracts, bonds, permits, affidavits, available in the National Archives. maps, plats, specifications, photographs, tables, For the years 1907-25 this is the principal financial statements, vouchers, estimates, series of records of the Office of the Secretary printed documents, pamphlets and other publica- of the Interior and the National Park Service re- tions, clippings, press releases, bulletins, and lating to national parks. The series includes processed procedural material. Most of the records originally filed under the classification correspondence is with park superintendents and system used in the Office of the Secretary and other field officials, but there is also corres- records designated with the decimal classifica- pondence with the President, the Secretary and tions developed by the Park Service (see entry other officials of the Department of the Interior 7). A few records are dated before 1907. For (especially after 1916), Members of Congress, the years beginning with 1925 the records des- the War Department, the General Land Office, cribed in entry 7 are the principal series of rec- the Bureau of Public Roads, other departments ords of the National Park Service. The two se- and bureaus, forest rangers, concessionaires ries overlap, however, and there is no imme- and leaseholders, applicants for concessions and diate way of determining in which series a par- permits, contractors, shippers, members of ticular file is located. For earlier letters re- conservation societies and similar organizations, ceived by the Office of the Secretary of the In- persons residing in and near park areas, park terior relating to national parks, see entry 1. visitors, applicants for employment, and others. Earlier letters sent are in Record Group 48, Rec- Arranged for the most part alphabetically by ords of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior. name of park and thereunder alphabetically by subject. There are records concerning the 7. CENTRAL CLASSIFIED FILES. 1907-49. following parks: Acadia, Crater Lake, Glacier, 1,571 ft. Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Hot Springs, Lassen Included are letters received, copies of let- Volcanic, Mesa Verde, Mount McKinley, Mount ters sent, narrative and statistical reports, mem- Rainier, Platt, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia (includ- oranda, minutes, contracts, permits, bonds, ing General Grant), Sully's Hill, Wind Cave, opinions, decisions, congressional bills and docu- Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion. There are ments, printed copies of acts of Congress, bulle- also records concerning Petrified Forest, tins, orders, circulars, manuals, charts, sche- Pinnacles, and Tumacacori National Monuments, dules, press releases, addresses, completed and general records not relating to a specific area. questionnaires, estimates and justifications, re- This series of Park Service records covers quisitions, vouchers, maps, plats, photographs, a broad range of subjects. Typical headings clippings, and publications. Most of the corres- are: administration, appropriations, automo- pondence is with park superintendents and other biles, boundaries, buildings, complaints, dis- field officials, but there is also correspondence bursing clerk, employment, expenditures, fires, with the President, Members of Congress, the inspection and investigations, lands, legislation, Office of the Secretary of the Interior, other Fed- maps, museums, nature study, privileges (con- eral offices, State and local officials, conces- cessions, leases, permits, and the like), publi- sionaires, land owners, manufacturers and mer- cations, receipts and revenues, repairs and im- chants, shippers, conservation societies and sim- provements, reports, roads, rules and regula- ilar organizations, scholarly institutions, and oth- tions, sanitation, supplies, telephone and tele- ers. Some records of commissions and special Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region 8 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE officers and some records transferred from the tion. Most are designated by a decimal classifi- War Department (see entry 5) have been incor- cation of the central classified files, and another porated. copy is usually with the records described in There are general records, records relat- entry 7. Arranged chronologically until April ing to each park in alphabetical order, and rec- 1944. Thereafter there is a preliminary break- ords relating specifically or in general to region- down by employee distribution or nature of content. al offices, monuments, historical parks, memo- rial parks, military parks, battlefield sites and 9. ORGANIZATION CHARTS. 1927-49. 1 in. parks, historic sites, memorials, cemeteries, Chiefly printed copies of charts of the Depart- parkways, recreational areas, National Capital ment of the Interior and the Park Service. Arran- Parks, and historic sites not federally owned. ged chronologically. For other charts, see the Frequently, however, records relating to an in- 201-13. 1 classification of the central classified dividual area are with the general records. Ap- files (entry 7). pendix I lists areas for which there are records in these files. 10. RECORDS CONCERNING THE NATIONAL All the records are arranged in accordance CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COM- with the same decimal classification system (see MISSION. 1923-34. 5 ft. Appendix II for a select list of headings). Within Letters received, copies of letters sent, each decimal classification the records are often processed copies of meetings of the Commission, subdivided by more specific subjects or by names congressional bills and documents, acts, clippings, of parks, individuals, States, government agen- maps, and other records relating to the establish- cies, or other appropriate headings, most fre- ment and activities of the Commission and its re- quently in alphabetical order. Occasionally, lations with the Park Service. The Director of particularly in the 885-01 classification relating the Park Service was a member of the Commis- to Emergency Conservation Work (CCC), other sion. For the most part arranged in rough chron- decimal classifications are used as subheadings. ological order, with some separate records con- In other instances, particularly in the 900 classi- cerning legislation and some separate clippings fication (concessions), the decimal system has and published reports. Other records relating to not been followed strictly, and all the subheadings the Commission are among the central classified relating to a particular subject or individual have files (entry 7), especially under the 871 classifi- been filed together. Some records not designated cation of the general records and among the rec- as part of the decimal system have been inserted ords relating to National Capital Parks. in appropriate places, especially records con- cerning specific projects conducted under differ- 11. NATURE NOTES. 1927-35. 9 in. ent programs. Periodic publications of individual parks and Within individual headings and subheadings, monuments. Some copies of monthly reports are documents are usually fastened together in chron- included. Arranged for the most part alphabeti- ological order, but many loose items have been cally by area and thereunder chronologically. See inserted. also the 504-11 classification of the central classi- The records under the decimal system over- fied files (entry 7). lap chronologically those filed under the system described in entry 6. The decimal system was 12. CLIPPINGS. 1915-25. 46 vols. 7 ft. begun in 1925 but was not in full operation for Newspaper and magazine clippings and a few several more years. Many older files were con- other items mounted in scrapbooks with some verted to the decimal system, but some records loose duplicates. Arranged alphabetically by park continued to be filed under the old system. There or other subject and thereunder in rough chrono- is no immediate way of determining in which se- logical order. ries a particular file will be found. FINANCIAL RECORDS 8. PROCESSED ISSUANCES. 1940-47. 9 ft. Chiefly mimeographed copies of memoranda 13. APPROPRIATION EXPENDITURE sent to regional directors and other field officers RECORD. 1915-21. 1 ft. and to employees in the central office. There are Accounting forms that balance expenditures also some orders, circulars, bulletins, directo- against allotted funds. Arranged in six binders, ries, and other issuances of the Park Service, one for each fiscal year from 1916 to 1921. the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, and Thereunder for the most part arranged by park. other offices. Most relate to procedural mat- For some years different types of forms are in ters; others give statements of policy or informa- separate sections of the binder. Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region OFFICE OF THE CHIEF COUNSEL 9 14. ABSTRACTS OF DISBURSEMENTS. ters sent, memoranda, reports, procedural 1921-25. 9 in. issuances, press releases, addresses, congres- Entries for individual disbursements give sional documents, clippings, photographs, maps, date of entry, name of claimant or other indica- periodicals, pamphlets, brochures, and picture tion of purpose, distribution under different ac- post cards. Mr. Drury was Director during these counting headings, and sometimes other pertinent years. Arranged for the most part alphabetically information. Arranged in three binders by fiscal by subject or correspondent and thereunder chron- years, thereunder alphabetically by park (with ologically. some special accounts), and thereunder chrono- logically. 20. RECORDS OF ROGER W. TOLL. 1928-36. 5 ft. 15. ALLOTMENT LEDGER. 1924-30. 1 in. Included are letters received, copies of let- An itemized record of funds allotted to parks. ters sent and correspondence of others, reports, Entries are arranged in a binder by year and memoranda, notes, maps, photographs, bro- thereunder for the most part alphabetically by chures, picture post cards, press releases, and name of park. coptes of publications. Mr. Toll was Superin- tendent of Rocky Mountain National Park until 16. SUMMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 1929 and then of Yellowstone National Park until 1925-32. 1 in. his death in 1936. In addition to his regular duties, Periodic statements with the following desig- during off-seasons he investigated proposed park nations: "Statement of Balances--General Ledger and monument areas, boundary extensions, and Accounts, "Schedule of Balances Showing Status other matters. This series consists of records of Appropriations, "Summary Allotment Ledger concerning these investigations and of reference Totals, "Statement of Allotment Accounts, and material. Some of the reference material is dated "Schedule of Balances of Resources and Obliga- before 1928. Arranged alphabetically by State tions." Arranged chronologically. and thereunder by area or other subject. At the end are some records concerning foreign countries RECORDS OF KEY OFFICIALS and general subjects. 17. RECORDS OF HORACE M. ALBRIGHT. RECORDS OF THE OFFICE 1927-33. 3 ft. OF THE CHIEF COUNSEL Included are letters received, copies of let- ters sent, memoranda, reports, maps, clippings, The Office of the Chief Counsel was estab- photographs, and press releases. Mr. Albright lished August 6, 1938, but there had been a legal was simultaneously Assistant Director (Field) and unit in the Park Service since its beginning. The Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park from person in charge was designated successively as 1926 until January 1929, and Director from 1929 Law Clerk, Law Officer, Assistant Attorney, until 1933. Many of these records are designated Assistant to the Director, and Assistant Director. "semi-official" and some as "personal. A few The office was known by such names as Branch of are dated as early as 1922. Arranged for the Uso. Law, and Regulation; Branch of Lands and most part by correspondent, park, or subject and Use: and Branch of Land Acquisition and Regula- thereunder chronologically. tion. The Office of the Chief Counsel and its prodecessors were particularly concerned with 18. RECORDS OF ARNO B. CAMMERER. land status and acquisition, water rights, contracts 1922-40. 7 ft. and concessions, preparation and enforcement of Included are letters received, copies of let- regulations, and legislation. The records of the ters sent, reports, memoranda, clippings, photo- Office of the Chief Counsel in the National Ar- graphs, maps, and processed and printed mate- chives relate to legislation. The name of the of- rial. Mr. Cammerer was Assistant Director from flee was changed to Legal Division in 1947, but 1919 to 1929, Associate Director from 1929 until the position of Chief Counsel continued. There 1933, and Director from 1933 to 1940. Arranged have been several reorganizations since then, and for the most part alphabetically by subject or legislative work is now assigned to the Division of correspondent, sometimes with subheadings, and Legislation and Regulations. thereunder chronologically. 21. LEGISLATIVE FILE. 1932-50. 49 ft. 19. RECORDS OF NEWTON B. DRURY. Letters received; copies of letters sent by 1940-51. 11 ft. the Park Service and the Office of the Secretary Included are letters received, copies of let- of the Interior; reports; memoranda; printed 10 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE copies of bills, acts, hearings, and congres- ence of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, sional reports; clippings, mainly from the Con- the National Park Service, and the Advisory gressional Record; maps, photographs; and other Board of Army Engineers; hearings; reports; pho- records concerning proposed legislation in which tographs; blueprint profiles; copies of legislative the Park Service was interested. Arranged for bills; and other records relating to the use of the most part by Congress, thereunder by House, Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park as and thereunder by bill number. Earlier records a reservoir by the city of San Francisco. Arranged concerning proposed legislation are in the central in part by type of record and in part in rough classified files (entry 7) under the 120 classifi- chronological order. Many other records relat- cation. ing to Hetch Hetchy and the San Francisco water supply are among the general records of the Na- RECORDS OF THE BRANCH tional Park Service (see entries 1, 6, and 7). OF ENGINEERING 24. REPORTS ON THE WATER SUPPLY OF The Engineering Division (sometimes called SAN FRANCISCO AND NEIGHBORING Civil Engineering Division) was established in AREAS. 1902-12. 55 vols. 6 ft. 1917. The division headquarters was located at Most of the reports were prepared by engi- different cities and parks in the West until 1927, neers for the city of San Francisco and the Spring when it was moved to San Francisco to become Valley Water Company in connection with the part of the Field Headquarters. The head of the controversy over the use of Hetch Hetchy Valley Division, formerly designated successively as by the city of San Francisco. Some are printed; Civil Engineer and Chief Civil Engineer, was now others, typewritten. Photographs, tables, and called Chief Engineer; and he was in general maps are included in most of the reports. There charge of the Field Headquarters. are also some estimates, rebuttals to reports, In 1933 the Engineering Division was re- and other records that are not strictly reports. named the Branch of Engineering and an eastern For the most part arranged by assigned number. office was opened. The Chief Engineer moved to There are a few unbound documents with some of Washington in 1937, and the San Francisco office the same set of assigned numbers among the rec- was closed. From 1938 until 1943 the Chief En- ords described in entry 23. gineer was called Chief of Engineering. In 1946 the Branch of Engineering was merged with the 25. CONTRACTS AND PROPOSALS AND Branch of Plans and Design to form the Branch SPECIFICATIONS. 1920-26. ft. of Development. Mostly for construction work. Included also The Branch of Engineering was in charge of are some correspondence, progress reports, and engineering work in the parks and monuments sys- other records. Arranged in rough chronological tem, especially construction work, although ma- order and in the same order as a list that is with jor road projects were directed by the Bureau of these records. Public Roads. The records of the Branch include records for the period of the Engineering Division. 26. ROAD SURVEY REPORTS. 1925-39. ft. Other records of the Engineering Division are Reconnaisance, location survey, and other among those of the Field Headquarters (entry 29). reports concerning proposed road construction. They are in narrative form with estimates, pho- 22. GENERAL RECORDS OF THE ENGINEER- tographs, maps, tables, and other illustrative ING DIVISION. 1917-26. 8 ft. material. Most were prepared by engineers of Included are letters received, copies of let- the Bureau of Public Roads; but some were pre- ters sent, work progress and other reports, mem- pared by engineers and architects of the Park oranda, bulletins, clippings, photographs, esti- Service. Arranged alphabetically by park. mates, and vouchers. Some records of engineers in the field have been incorporated. The records 27. FINAL CONSTRUCTION REPORTS. are divided into general records and records re- 1934-42. 5 in. lating to individual parks arranged alphabetically. Narrative reports with cost reports, photo- Thereunder arranged by subject headings and graphs, plans, and other illustrations concerning subheadings. Within each heading or subheading completed construction projects in some eastern arranged for the most part chronologically. areas. Arranged alphabetically by area. 23. RECORDS RELATING TO THE HETCH 28. MONTHLY NARRATIVE REPORTS OF HETCHY PROJECT. 1901-34. 1 ft. BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS ENGINEERS. Correspondence and copies of correspond- Dec. 1936-June 1937. 3 in. BRANCH OF PLANS AND DESIGN 11 Reports submitted by engineers assigned to and records relating to monuments arranged al- road projects in Park Service areas. With the phabetically. Thereunder arranged for the most reports are maps, charts, photographs, and other part according to a decimal subject classification illustrations. Most of the reports are for April system similar to that used in the Washington of- and June 1937; there are reports for only a few fice (see entry 7). Sometimes records relating areas, mostly in the East and South. Arranged to the work of the Landscape Division are sepa- alphabetically by area and thereunder chronolo- rated from those relating to the work of the Engi- gically. neering Division, and there are subheadings for some of the classifications. Within each heading RECORDS OF THE FIELD or subheading arranged for the most part chrono- HEADQUARTERS IN SAN FRANCISCO logically. The Field Headquarters in San Francisco was RECORDS OF THE BRANCH OF organized in 1927 to coordinate the work of the PLANS AND DESIGN several field divisions: Engineering, Landscape Engineering, Educational, Forestry, and Sani- The Branch of Plans and Design was a con- tary (personnel detailed from the Public Health tinuation of the Landscape Engineering Division Service). The Chief Engineer was the head of the established in 1918. The name was changed to Engineering Division, and he was in general Landscape Architecture Division in 1928 and to charge of the Field Headquarters. The head- Branch of Plans and Design in 1933. Its head- quarters of the Educational Division and the For- quarters was moved severaltimes. It was at Los estry Division were in Berkeley; and in practice Angeles from 1923 until 1927 when the Division the Field Headquarters was concerned chiefly was made part of the Field Headquarters at San with the work of the Engineering Division and the Francisco. An eastern office in Washington was Landscape Engineering Division (renamed Land- established in 1930. The head of the division was scape Architecture Division in 1928). known successively as Landscape Engineer, Chief From 1930 to 1937 a gradual transfer of di- Landscape Engineer, and the Chief Landscape rection of technical functions from the field to Architect. In 1933 the Chief Landscape Architect Washington took place. In 1935 the use of the began to spend most of his time at the eastern of- term "Field Headquarters" was discontinued. In fice in Washington, but the San Francisco office 1937 the Chief Engineer moved from San Fran- remained open until 1937. From 1938 to 1943 the cisco to Washington, and the field division offices Chief Landscape Architect was called the Chief in San Francisco and Berkeley were closed. Some of Planning. In 1946 the Branch of Plans and De- duties formerly assigned to the field divisions sign was merged with the Branch of Engineering were transferred to the new regional offices. to form the Branch of Development. The records of the Field Headquarters in San The Branch of Plans and Design supervised Francisco include some records of the Engineer- architectural and landscape designing, planning, ing Division and the Landscape Engineering Divi- development, and construction. Beginning in 1931 sion for the period before they were moved to San it was responsible for the preparation of master Francisco in 1927. See also the records of the plans. Branch of Engineering (entries 22-28) and the Records of the Landscape Engineering Divi- Branch of Plans and Design (entries 30-32). sion and Landscape Architecture Division are a- mong the records of the Field Headquarters in 29. CLASSIFIED FILES. 1925-36. 23 ft. San Francisco (entry 29). Included are letters received, copies of let- ters sent, reference copies of letters sent by 30. MONTHLY NARRATIVE REPORTS. other offices, reports, memoranda, press re- 1936-38. 9 ft. leases, other issuances and publications, clip- Submitted by landscape architects and some pings, photographs, tables, estimates, and bills other employees in field offices. They relate of lading. The records for the period before Oc- mainly to Emergency Conservation Work (CCC) tober 1927 were transferred from the office of the and other projects in both National Park Service Engineering Division in Portland, Oreg., and the areas and in State and local parks. Photographs office of the Landscape Engineering Division in accompany many of the reports. A few reports Los Angeles. Some records are dated as early as cover periods other than a month. Arranged by 1919; comparatively few records are dated after year, thereunder by Park Service region, and 1931. thereunder by month. Divided into general records, records re- lating to individual parks arranged alphabetically, 12 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 31. PLANS AND INSCRIPTIONS. Service region, and thereunder alphabetically by ca. 1914-30. 3 in. park area. There are some separate reports for Mainly blueprints. Arranged according to recreational demonstration areas, 1935-44. area or structure shown in the master plans. In- cluded are plans for Arlington National Cemetery RECORDS OF THE WILDLIFE DIVISION and Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. In 1929 a Wild Life Survey was organized in 32. MASTER PLANS. 1931-41. 36 ft. the Berkeley office of the National Park Service. Sets of maps and drawings, sometimes with Until 1931 it was financed entirely by George accompanying statements, depicting work planned Wright. The Government began contributing to its for Park Service areas. They were prepared in support in 1931 and took over the financing com- area and regional offices and relate to such sub- pletely in 1933. In 1934 the Wild Life Division, jects as topography, roads, and trails, adminis- with Wright as chief, was formally established tration and utility areas, fire control, and vege- in the Washington office within the Branch of Re- tation types. For some areas new plans were search and Education to direct all activities con- prepared almost every year; for other areas, cerning the conservation and management of wild- less frequently. For the most part arranged al- life. On July 30, 1934, the Park Service changed phabetically by area and thereunder chronologi- its usage from "wild life" to "wildlife," cally; but there are exceptions to accommodate In December 1939 the duties and personnel of different sizes. A list of the plans is available the Wildlife Division were transferred from the in the National Archives. Park Service to the Bureau of Biological Survey and the Bureau of Fisheries. These two agencies RECORDS OF THE were merged on June 30, 1940, to form the Fish BRANCH OF FORESTRY and Wildlife Service. Personnel of the Fish and Wildlife Service continued to work in close coop- The Forestry Division was established in the eration with the Park Service. Biological work Berkeley office of the Park Service in 1927. Chief was resumed by the Park Service in 1944, but no Park Naturalist Ansel F. Hall also served as separate records of the administrative units in Chief Forester. In 1928 John D. Coffman was ap- charge of this work are in the National Archives. pointed Fire Control Expert. In 1933 he was transferred to Washington to assist in the organi- 34. RECORDS OF THE WASHINGTON OFFICE zation and administration of the Emergency Con- OF THE WILDLIFE DIVISION. 1934-36. servation Work program and in November of that 4 ft. year the Branch of Forestry was established in Correspondence, memoranda, reports, pro- Washington with Coffman as Chief Forester. The cedural issuances, opinions of the Solicitor of the Branch was concerned chiefly with the protection Department of the Interior, copies of legislative of forests from fires, insects, diseases, and oth- bills and acts, copies of Executive orders and er dangers. Until 1936 the Chief Forester also proclamations, lists, press releases, clippings, directed the Emergency Conservation Work pro- photographs, and maps. Arranged by park areas, gram in national parks. From 1938 to 1943 the other subjects, and correspondents and there- Chief Forester was called the Chief of Forestry. under for the most part chronologically. Records In 1947 the Branch of Forestry was redesignated relating to Emergency Conservation Work are the Forestry Division, and more recently there arranged by enrollment period and thereunder by have been other changes. area. A few records are dated before 1934 and after 1936. 33. FOREST FIRE REPORTS. 1928-49. 3 ft. Chiefly forms completed for individual fires. 35. RECORDS OF DAVID H. MADSEN. They give information concerning location usu- 1930-39. 3 ft. ally including a small map or plat), cause, phys- Included are letters received, copies of let- ical conditions, action taken, damages, cost of ters sent, copies of correspondence of other of- suppression, and other matters. Also included fices, memoranda, narrative reports, work pro- are some narrative reports, memoranda, corre- gress reports, stream survey reports, travel spondence, and other records. The compara- reports, procedural issuances, vouchers, and tively few reports for the years 1928-31 are to- photographs. Mr. Madsen was appointed Assist- gether. For the years 1932-41, the reports are ant Land Purchaser in August 1930. On Decem- arranged for the most part alphabetically by park ber 26, 1930, he was instructed to give as much area and thereunder chronologically. For 1942-49 attention as possible to problems affecting wild- they are arranged by year, thereunder by Park life and was given the additional title of Supervisor Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region REGIONAL OFFICES 19 77. CORRESPONDENCE AND MEMORANDA. Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Con- 1935-42. 6 in. necticut, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, Incoming and outgoing letters and memo- New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and randa, mostly copies. Divided into the following part of West Virginia. Since 1962 Region I has headings: Washington office, regional offices, been known as the Southeast Region. The numer- territories, Director of the CCC, superintend- ical designation is used in this inventory because ents, and miscellaneous. Thereunder arranged most of the records are for the years when the chronologically. There are not records in all the region included more than the Southeastern States. categories for every year; and there are many The records of Region I include records of other letters and memoranda among other rec- some of the Emergency Conservation Work dis- ords of the office, especially the general records tricts established in 1933. (entry 76). 81. CENTRAL CLASSIFIED FILES. 1936-52. 78. JOB OUTLINES. 1936-42. 2 ft. 62 ft. Chiefly standard forms prepared by field Included are letters received, copies of let- supervisors. They describe the purpose of par- ters sent, memoranda, narrative and statistical ticular jobs on projects and the on- and off-the- reports, procedural issuances, maps, photo- job training to be provided for them. Except for graphs, estimates and justifications, congres- some examples at the beginning considered par- sional bills and documents, tables, and clippings. ticularly well prepared, arranged alphabetically Divided into general records and records relat- by kind of job. ing to individual areas in alphabetical order. Thereunder arranged according to the decimal 79. RECORDS CONCERNING "P.T. SERIES" subject classification system used in the central PUBLICATIONS. 1936-42. 2 ft. office (see entry 7). Within headings and sub- Printed copies, drafts, correspondence, headings the records are usually arranged chron- memoranda, photographs, drawings, clippings, ologically. There are a few records dated before periodicals and other publications (some dated 1936; and comparatively few records are dated before 1936), and other records concerning the after 1946. preparation and distribution of the "P. T. (Proj- ect Training) Series" of booklets. Some relate 82. RECORDS CONCERNING WORK IN STATES. to technical subjects, such as carpentry, con- 1935-44. 179 ft. crete, lumber, and truck driving; and others, to Included are correspondence, memoranda, general training policies and methods. Arranged narrative reports, work progress reports, in- by series publication number. spection reports, accident reports, geological reports, completed questionnaires, procedural 80. PHOTOGRAPHS. ca. 1937-41. 7 in. issuances, press releases, maps, plans, photo- Prints and negatives showing training and graphs, clippings, copies of periodicals and other work activities, work products, and personnel. publications, estimates, bids, contracts, requi- Arranged alphabetically by subject. Other pho- sitions, purchase orders, vouchers, travel orders, tographs are with the general records (entry 76) applications for employment, and time sheets. and with the records concerning "P. T. Series" Chiefly records of the regional office relating to publications (entry 79). the State park program, but other records have been incorporated. These include records of the RECORDS OF REGIONAL OFFICES Recreation Planning Division or Recreation Study (see entry 97); records of the regional geologist RECORDS OF REGION I (see entry 91); records of the New York Procure- ment Office; records of ECW district offices, in- Region I was established in 1937 with head- spectors, and field supervisors; records of H. E. quarters in Richmond. It was responsible for the Weatherwax of the Central office relating to the following 23 States: Maine, Vermont, New Hamp- North Carolina Beach Erosion Control Project; shire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and records of the Swift Creek Recreational Dem- New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, onstration Area. For some of these offices there Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ken- are records concerning Federal areas. tucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Caro- Arranged alphabetically by State, including lina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, the District of Columbia, Tennessee Valley Au- and Florida. In 1955 Region V was established thority, and Virgin Islands, and thereunder ac- with headquarters in Philadelphia, including the cording to the decimal subject classification sys- following States formerly in Region I: Maine, tem used in the central office (see entry 7), with Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region 20 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE some arranged by subject. Frequently within and one for monthly reports of inspectors. There decimal classifications or subject headings, rec- are also a few narrative reports, photographs, ords are arranged by project number. Within processed memoranda, and other records. Ar- headings and subheadings the records are usually ranged for the most part alphabetically by State arranged chronologically; but when the same head- and thereunder by project, or alphabetically by ing was used by more than one office, the records name of inspector or field supervisor and there- of each office are separated. There are not rec- under chronologically. There are other such re- ords of every office for each State. Among the ports among other records of Region I, especially records for Virginia are some, mostly those of the monthly reports (entry 87) and the 207-26 inspectors, of a more general nature. Compar- classification of the records concerning State atively few records are dated after 1942. work (entry 82). 83. CORRESPONDENCE OF THE REGIONAL 87. MONTHLY REPORTS. 1936-41. 18 ft. OFFICERS WITH DISTRICT OFFICES. Narrative reports submitted by supervisors, 1936-37. 3 ft. inspectors, and technicians--including engineers, Relates chiefly to administrative matters. landscape architects, historians, geologists, Included are some correspondence concerning wildlife technicians, archeologists, and foresters. rather than with the offices; correspondence of There are also some form reports from inspec- the ECW district offices (with some records dated tors similar to those described in entry 86 and 1934-35); and form reports, procedural issuances, correspondence. Many of the reports include plans, estimates, requisitions, vouchers, travel photographs, maps, and other illustrative mate- authorizations, and clippings. Arranged by dis- rial. Arranged chronologically. Many of these trict and thereunder for the most part in chrono- records are designated by the 207-02 classifi- logical order. cation of the Park Service decimal classification system (see entry 7). For other monthly reports, 84. RECORDS CONCERNING WPA PROJECTS. see entries 93 and 98. 1936-42. 3 ft. Included are letters received, copies of let- 88. MASTER PLANS. 1935-42. 4 ft. ters sent, reports, memoranda, applications for Maplike depictions of work to be done in Fed- camps, job estimate and allotment requests, proj- eral and State areas. Some letters, reports, ect allotment requests, notices of concurrence, memoranda, routing sheets, and other records work program outlines, procedural issuances, accompany the plans. Arranged alphabetically lists, plans, maps, photographs, estimates, and by State and thereunder by area or project, with requisitions. There are general records and rec- some separate plans for the Blue Ridge Parkway. ords relating to activities in New York and North For other records concerning the plans, see the Carolina. Thereunder some of the general rec- 600-01 classification of the records described in ords are arranged by district; but most of the rec- entries 81 and 82; see also the central office ords are arranged according to the decimal sys- master plans (entry 32). tem used in the central office (see entry 7). 89. RECORDS OF ROBERT T. FROST, 85. RECORDS CONCERNING JOBS AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. 1934-38. 2 in. CONTRACTS. 1936-42. 2 ft. Letters received, copies of letters sent, Included are memoranda, correspondence, memoranda, reports, maps, and plans relating job application and completion record forms, especially to Public Works Administration proj- plans, maps, photographs, estimates, specifica- ects in the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Nation- tions, abstracts of bids, contracts, and requisi- al Military Park. Arranged by subject and there- tions concerning individual jobs on CCC, WPA, under chronologically. and PWA projects, and contracts for goods and services in Federal areas. Arranged alphabet- 90. RECORDS OF THE REGIONAL ENGINEER ically by area. Thereunder divided into records CONCERNING CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS. relating to jobs and records relating to contracts. 1936-43. 4 ft. Thereunder arranged in part by job number and Included are letters received, copies of let- n part in rough chronological order. There are ters sent, memoranda, reports, tables, maps, records only for areas with initials S-V. plans, graphs, charts, drawings, photographs, and computation sheets. Most of the dams were 6. INSPECTION REPORTS. 1938-43. 3 ft. in State parks or recreational demonstration Chiefly two kinds of form reports: one for areas. Arranged alphabetically by State, there- ingle inspections of particular areas or projects under alphabetically by area, and thereunder in Region 24 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (1 Stat. 130), became a unit of the Park Service mark, and sometimes other information. The on August 10, 1933. It had previously been di- dates of death are from 1864 to 1936. There are rected by a succession of offices, ending with the also some copies of records concerning the case Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the of James Millay vs. the United States, involving National Capital, which was merged with the Park a dispute over land acquired for the cemetery. Service in 1933. The system of National Capital Parks has been operated as a separate unit of the 120. REGISTER OF VISITORS AT BATTLE- Park Service since that year, and in 1962 it was GROUND NATIONAL CEMETERY. 1879- made the sixth region, the National Capital Re- 1903. 1 vol. 1 in. gion. It includes the Mall, Rock Creek Park, Po- The entries are chronological. Some news- tomac Park, Theodore Roosevelt Island, nu- paper photographs, chiefly of World War I sold- merous smaller parks and recreation areas (in- iers, have been pasted in the volume. cluding circles and triangles at intersections), cemeteries, parkways, the White House, Wash- 121. CLIPPINGS CONCERNING WASHINGTON, ington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas D. C. 1934-37. 3 vols. 1 ft. Jefferson Memorial, and other memorials, stat- Mostly mounted in scrapbooks, but some ues, and historic structures in and about the Dis- items are loose. They relate to construction, use trict of Columbia. For photographic and carto- of parks, trees, police protection, the White graphic records of the National Capital Region House, and other subjects. Arranged in rough maintained apart from the textual records, see order by subject and thereunder chronologically. entries 138-141 and 153-158. PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDS 116. RECORDS RELATING TO REPAIRS AND AND SOUND RECORDINGS ALTERATIONS OF THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILD- 122. W. H. TIPTON COLLECTION OF CIVIL ING. 1925-37. 1 ft. WAR PHOTOGRAPHS. 1863-94. ca. Included are letters received, copies of let- 1, 770 items. 17 ft. ters sent, memoranda, advertisements for pro- Photographs of Civil War sites, chiefly at posals, specifications, proposals, abstracts of Gettysburg but including northern Virginia and proposals, estimates, contracts, bonds, insur- Harpers Ferry. Arranged by assigned number. ance policies, invoices, drawings, and plans. A list is available. Arranged for the most part by job and thereunder chronologically. Almost all these records were 123. PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE HAYDEN created by the Office of Public Buildings and Pub- SURVEY. 1871-72. 71 items. 1 in. lic Parks of the National Capital, which was "Alberttypes" made from photographic neg- merged with the Park Service in 1933. atives of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, or Hayden Survey. 117. DRAWINGS AND TABLES CONCERNING There are photographs of areas in Utah, Idaho, ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE Montana, and Wyoming. The photographs were EXECUTIVE OFFICES. 1934. 2 in. made by W. H. Jackson. Blueprint drawings, calculations, and rec- ord of work done by the Fort Pitt Bridge Works. 124. HENRY G. PEABODY COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS. ca. 1890-1935. ca. 118. "CABINET SKETCHES" OF THE THOMAS ,700 items. 17 ft. JEFFERSON MEMORIAL. n.d. 1 in. Prints (loose and in albums), negatives, Nine architectural drawings showing exte- glass slides (most in color), stereographs, and rior and interior views and floor plans of the lecture scripts relating to national parks, the John Russell Pope design for the memorial. They White Mountains, the Canadian Alps, colonial and were probably submitted to the Thomas Jefferson Revolutionary landmarks around Boston, Mex- Memorial Commission sometime between 1937 ican scenery and architecture, El Camino Real and 1943. Other records of the Commission have in California, and other subjects. Mr. Peabody been kept by the National Capital Region. was a commercial photographer; and most of these photographs were intended for educational pur- 119, REGISTER OF BURIALS AT BATTLE- poses. They are arranged by type of photograph GROUND NATIONAL CEMETERY. and thereunder by subject. n.d. 1 vol. 2 in. Entries for individual burials give name, rank, company, regiment, date of death, grave Reproduced at the National Archives-Pacific NW Region PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDS AND SOUND RECORDINGS 25 125. PHOTOGRAPHS OF FEDERAL BUILD- propriate for use because they appear dated by INGS. ca. 1917. ca. 200 items. 5 in. clothing, automobiles, buildings, or other cause. Prints of buildings in Washington, D. C., There are photographs made as early as 1928; occupied or planned to be occupied by various but the date when this series was started has not departments of the Federal Government. Ar- been determined. Arranged alphabetically by ranged alphabetically by name of agency. area. 126. PHOTOGRAPHS OF ZION AND BRYCE 131. "HAYNES COLLECTION.' ca. 1920-58. CANYON NATIONAL PARKS. 1929. ca. ca. 310 items. 1 ft. 350 items. 1 ft. Photographs of areas in Yellowstone and Two albums of photographs showing the Grand Teton National Parks made by J. E. physical features and development of the parks. Haynes, a commercial photographer. Arranged The photographs concerning Zion National Park by park. are arranged by subject and numbered in se- quence. The photographs concerning Bryce 132. "HILEMAN COLLECTION.' ca. 1933-45. Canyon are also numbered. ca. 150 items. 5 in. Photographs showing areas in Glacier Na- 127. PHOTOGRAPHS OF ENGINEERING tional Park. Most were made by T. J. Hileman, ACTIVITIES. ca. 1928-48. 40 items. a commercial photographer. Arranged alphabet- in. ically by subject. Glass negatives for "typical on the job scenes" of engineering activities at Yosemite, 133. "THOMPSON COLLECTION. ca. 1936-37. Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Mount Rainier ca. 150 items. 5 in. National Parks; Salem Maritime National His- Photographs of areas in Great Smoky Moun- toric Site; Washington Monument, Executive Of- tains National Park. They were made by the fice Building, and North Interior Building in the Thompson Co. (there are variations in the name District of Columbia; and Colonial National His- of the firm), commercial photographers. torical Park. There are also two unidentified items. Arranged by area. 134. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANSEL ADAMS. ca. 1936-41. ca. 500 items. 3 ft. 128. PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WESTERN Large prints of national parks and monu- MUSEUM LABORATORIES. 1934-41. ments in the West, Boulder Dam, and Indian ac- ca. 850 items. 2 ft. tivities. Arranged alphabetically by subject. Photographs documenting the part played by the Park Service in using professional CCC, 135. "MATHER COLLECTION." ca. 1949-54. WPA, and NYA workers in its museum develop- ca. ,225 items. 3 ft. ment program. Photographs of park personnel and other persons connected with the national parks. In- 129. PHOTOGRAPHS MAINTAINED BY DR. cluded are biographical sketches, correspondence, CHARLES W. PORTER. Ca. 1928-62. and other records. The photographs were accu- Ca. 2,710 items. 7 ft. mulated for deposit in the Mather Collection of Prints and negatives, with some post cards the Library of Congress. Some of the photographs and clippings, showing scenery, facilities, ex- were made much earlier than 1949. Arranged for hibits, ceremonies and other events, personnel, the most part alphabetically by person. visitors, and other subjects. This series is also designated as the "Historical File"; and Dr. 136. OTHER COLLECTIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHS. Porter has been an historian with the Park Ser- ca. 1929-62. ca. 1, 300 items. 3 ft. vice for many years. Some of the photographs Chiefly photographs of scenic areas in na- were made much earlier than 1928. Arranged tional and State park areas. Arranged in part alphabetically by Park Service area or other sub- alphabetically by area, in part by photographer, ject. and in part by State. 130. PHOTOGRAPHS RETIRED FROM THE 137. MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS. ca. "TV" FILE OF STILL PICTURES. ca. 1934-57. ca. 650 items. 1 ft. 1928-62. ca. 680 items. 5 ft. Prints and negatives showing scenery in na- Photographs showing visitors, park officials tional parks; park visitors and Park Service offi- and conference groups in various areas, and oth- cials; military use of parks; the Golden Gate In- er subjects. The items were not considered ap- ternational Exposition, San Francisco, 1939-40; Harpers Ferry Center: NPS History Collection Inventories Page 1 of 4 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Harpers Ferry Center Products & Services > Art, Graphics & Library Services > NPS History Collection Inventories National Park Service History Collection Inventories Record Groups The following links provide a sampling of some of the record groups in the NPS History Collection (NPSHC) at Harpers Ferry Center. If you have questions or would like more information, please call the HFC Library at 304-535-6262. The Ronald F. Lee Papers, 1947-1972 (RG 1) - The office Buses loaded with papers, home files, and personal memorabilia of Ronald Freeman CCC workers at Rocky Mountain Lee, who held the positions of Chief Historian, Assistant Director, National Park, May Regional Director in the National Park Service from 1933 to 26, 1933. 1966, was a founder of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and served as a consultant to the National Park Service until his death in 1972. The Harold L. Peterson Papers, 1963-1977 (RG 2) - The home and office files of Harold L. Peterson, Chief Curator of the National Park Service and world-renown authority on arms and armor, and military art and science until his death January 1, 1978. Superintendent's The Harold P. Fabian Advisory Board Collection (1961-1973) (RG Conference at 3) - Materials collected by Harold P. Fabian during the course of Yosemite National his work on the Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Park, 1922. Buildings and Monuments throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Civilian Conservation Corps (RG 4) - This record group inventory gathers together all books, manuscripts, museum objects, etc. in the HFC Library and NPSHC related to the history of the CCC, 1933-1941. MISSION 66 PROVE class SCIGN Jesse L. Nusbaum Papers, 1921-1958 (RG 5) - Papers and correspondence of Jesse Nusbaum, NPS archeologist. It is largely due to Nusbaum's efforts that the NPS is so closely tied Sign denotes to Southwest archeology. Mission 66 Project at Grand Teton World Conferences Collection (RG 7) - This material was National Park produced and collected by National Park Service personnel for during the 1960s. the various international parks conferences in which the Service participated, from the First World Conference (1962) to the First World Conference on Cultural Parks (1984). National Park Conferences (RG 8) This record group inventory describes the holdings in the collection that relate to National Park conferences from 1911 to the present. The National Parks Centennial (RG 13) - - The papers and files of several NPS individuals involved with the NPS Centennial http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/library.htm 2/8/2008 Harpers Ferry Center: NPS History Collection Inventories Page 2 of 4 celebration in 1972. Includes copies of the meeting proceedings and reports of the National Parks Centennial Office, generated and collected during the course of its mission focusing on the Centennial Year 1972. Also includes copies of periodical articles from various publications concerning the NPS Centennial. NPS Museum Function (RG 14) - This record group inventory gathers together all materials in the NPSHC that relate to the museum and curatorial functions within NPS from the beginnings of the Service to the present. Materials on Yellowstone National Park (RG 17) - This finding aid gathers together in one document a listing of materials on Yellowstone National Park that are present in the National Park Service History Collection, and the NPS Library at Harpers Ferry Center. The Bicentennial Celebration (RG 18) - This record group inventory gathers together all materials in the NPSHC that relate to the various activities involving the preparations for and the programs of the American Revolution Bicentennial, 1972-1976, in the NPS. Interpretation in the National Park Service (RG 19) - This record group inventory gathers together material in NPSHC relating to the history and practice of interpretation in the Service from the very beginnings to the present. National Park Women (RG 21) - This record group inventory describes the holdings in the collection that relate to the history of the National Park Women organization. National Park Service Administrative Manuals (RG 22) - This record group inventory describes the holdings in the collection of administrative and policy manuals issued predominantly by NPS from the 1930s to the Director's Orders of the present. Also included is a collection of ranger manuals from various parks. Mission 66, 1955-1966 (RG 23) - This record group inventory includes documents and information about the Mission 66 program, which was a milestone in National Park Service history. The program aimed at bringing the whole infrastructure of the system - housing, visitor centers, interpretation, etc. up-to-date by 1966. It was launched in 1956 and was closed out in 1964 after over $900,000,000 had been spent and much good work accomplished. Hartzog Directorate Collection (RG 30) - Files and Notebooks dealing with Programs and Proposals during the middle period of the Hartzog Directorate. Made up mostly of Hartzog's office files and Theodore Swem's files. Alaska Research Materials in the NPSHC (RG 36) - This record group consists of general NPSHC materials on Alaska, as well as several collections that were formed on Alaska areas. http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/library.htm 2/8/2008 Harpers Ferry Center: NPS History Collection Inventories Page 3 of 4 National Park Service History (RG 37) - A collection of items, published and unpublished, that were written as interpretation or explanation of some aspect of National Park Service administrative or operational history. Ranger Activities (RG 39) - Miscellaneous material on ranger activities from the beginnings of the NPS to 1986. Includes a listing of some of the ranger manuals used in parks in the 1920s - 1950s. Also includes U.S. Forest Service materials which were used by NPS rangers in the field before NPS produced its own materials. Proposed Areas Collection (RG 51) - Material dealing with policy about the selection of proposed areas and the areas themselves ranging from 1924 to 1988, but mostly from 1955-1970. Camping History in the NPSHC (RG 52) - This collection contains published and unpublished material on the administration of camping in national and state parks and the management of campgrounds. The Ernest A. Connally Collection (RG 53) - A container listing of ch the office collection of Ernest A. Connally who was director of the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation of the NPS. Abolished Areas (RG 55) - This record group inventory describes the holdings in the collection that relate to former NPS areas. Washington Memoranda to All, 1935-1940 (RG 56) - A collection I of memoranda issued by the Washington Office to all field offices for the period 1935 through 1940. This finding aid is a copy of the indexes for each year 1935 to 1940. Pitcaithley Reconstruction Files (RG 63) - Research files ch. compiled by Dwight Pitcaithley on the subject of historical reconstruction. Other Documents Abner Doubleday Collection - This is a collection of military records and journals of Civil War General Abner Doubleday (1819-1893). Artillery for the Land Service of the United States - by Alfred Mordecai. A Comparison of the Plates from Two NPS Copies (located at Harpers Ferry Center Library and Springfield Armory National Historic Site. The HFC copy includes plates beyond the original 1848-49 edition, up to about 1861. The Springfield Armory copy includes plates added until approximately 1873.) and the National Archives microfilm copy. Also listed is: Drawings and Tables of Dimensions of the Ordnance for the Land Service of the United States (1841). Chronology of NPS Regional Structure - This document shows the changes in NPS regional structure that have taken place since the first regionalization of the Service in 1937. http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/library.htm 2/8/2008 Harpers Ferry Center: NPS History Collection Inventories Page 4 of 4 National Park Service News (PDF) - Stephen T. Mather's NPS newsletter, 1919-1920. They give a good picture of the Service and the parks of the time. Publishing History of the Courier - The Courier was the news magazine of the National Park Service from 1956-1999. Relative Sizes of NPS Areas and U.S. States - This document compares the gross acreage of U.S. states to that of NPS areas which are at least 700,000 acres in size. The NPS Arrowhead : A History (PDF) - An excerpt from Badges and Insignia, 1894-1991 by R. Bryce Workman, published in 1991 by the National Park Service History Collection at Harpers Ferry Center. Author: Harpers Ferry Center Last Updated: Tuesday, 10-Jul-2007 10:03:23 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/library.htm http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/library.htm 2/8/2008 An Archival Glossary for the Millennium Acquired archives: Collections created by an tions have a common provenance and a organization as a routine part of doing busi- shared internal order original to the collection. ness but removed from the physical custody of (2) The total archival and manuscript holdings the originating institution and now in the of an organization including audio-visual, physical custody of a second organization. electronic, and textual records. See holdings. These intact collections maintain their prove- Archival masters: Refers to the first generation nance and original order and are still referred of source materials, such as manuscripts, pho- to as archives, although legally severed from tographs, or original electronic files. When their creator. speaking of digital copies, this term (archival Active records: Official records needed and used master) is also used to refer to the large and for current business by organizational staff. high quality preservation and/or duplication Administrative value: Refers to the archival digital surrogate file that is kept off-line. material's usefulness for management, as in Archival quality: Refers to permanent, durable, the case of architectural drawings and plans and non-destructive storage or copying materi- useful for building repairs, maps necessary for als or equipment suitable for use with landscaping or rescue, or, in a park, other archives. Also refers to long-lived (100-year- records that indicate how an ecosystem or cul- plus) documentation formats such as silver tural resource has been affected over time. gelatin emulsions. APPM: Archives, Personal Papers, and Archives: (1) The permanently valuable non-cur- Manuscripts is an archival style manual for rent records of an organization, with their orig- description. inal order and provenance intact, maintained Appraisal: (1) The act of assessing an archival or by the original organization. (2) The organiza- manuscript collection's value-including infor- tion that created and holds the records. (3) mational value, artifactual value (uniqueness The physical building/room in which the and physical qualities such as process, media, records are held. or techniques used), evidential value, associa- Archiving: Refers to the act of transferring an tional value, administrative value, and mone- electronic file from active to inactive memory tary value-using criteria such as age, subject in an automated system. content, contextual documentation, condition, Archivist: A professional knowledgeable in quality, quantity, legal restrictions, filing orga- archival theory and practice, who is responsi- nizational problems, public relations concerns, ble for the administration or management of and associational nature. (2) The act of deter- archival and manuscript collections. mining if a collection contains official or non- Artifactual value: Refers to the collection or official records by consulting the records item's intrinsic value as unique or rare exam- schedule. (3) Used in society as a whole to ples of material culture. This value relates to refer strictly to establishing the monetary value the age, format, process, media, condition, and of an item. quality of the material. In a photograph, for Archival assessment: Evaluation of an organiza- example, the arifactual value might be due to a tion's total archival and manuscript collection combination of rare process (calotype negative management needs incorporating surveys, the or carbon print), good focus and composition, production of collection-level survey descrip- special format (oversize stereograph or cartes- tions, collections evaluations, and recommen- de-visite), exceptional vantage point (birds-eye dations for action. Assessments facilitate view or satellite image,or a particular genre (a records management and the care of archival fine portrait, seascape, market scene, or land- collections in organizations that have little scape). These characteristics of artifactual experience with these issues. value can help archivists attribute an unsigned Archival collections: (1) Records created or work to a particular creator, date an item, and accumulated by an organization as a natural discover other contextual information. part of conducting business. Archival collec- 46 CRM No 2-1999 Assembled collections: Accumulations of docu- (2) The total archival and manuscript holdings ments, most often gathered from multiple of an organization. sources by a collector, generally unrelated by Context: The circumstances of creation and his- provenance. The documents frequently are in tory of ownership and usage of an archival col- the same format or related to the same topic. lection, as well as the collection's original Assembled collections are sometimes referred arrangement or filing structure. A clear context to as "manuscript collections," "artificial col- gives a collection enhanced legal and research lections," or "special collections." value as it indicates that the collection's Associated records: All documentation gener- integrity was respected during a continuous ated by the activity of collecting or analyzing chain of custody (ownership). The evidence in artifacts or specimens needed to effectively the collection remains intact. The collection manage those related objects. was not rearranged or inappropriately added Associational value: Refers to the archival mate- to or weeded. Historians may depend upon the rial's relationship, usually by ownership or inferences they draw from the collection's use, to an eminent individual, group, event, or authentic filing structure. See also original similar activity or organization. The associa- order and provenance. tion may be to the records creator, owner, user, Client/server: Refers to systems architecture in or individuals or groups who appear as subject which one computer supplies information to matter, such as in anthropological records. another. Often such systems are developed so Authority files: Published or unpublished lists of that tasks can be divided up between several data value standards (e.g., subject terms/ machines for efficiency's sake. names) selected for use in description. The Data: Refers to simple facts and easily quantifi- lists may provide definitions, occupations, able and repeatable observations that may be cross-references from variant versions of quickly captured on machines, structured, and names or terms, and dates. transferred to other machines and interested Cellulose nitrate film: A flexible film base used parties. Data is the lowest level of information for motion picture film and photographic nega- and the easiest to manage, while information tives between about 1890 and 1955. This film and knowledge are increasingly complex and base self-destructs over time going through five difficult to abstract and automate. stages of deterioration. The film should be Digital archives: Refers to the long-term preser- handled with gloves, foldered in buffered vation and research accessibility of digital data sleeves, boxed, placed in Ziplock bags and in an institutional setting. Digital archiving is removed to off-site (non-museum storage) cold achieved by following selection criteria for storage in a freezer. what will be archived, managing intellectual Certified Digital Archives: Refers to a potential property rights, following open system stan- process described by the Task Force on Digital dards, migrating and refreshing data regularly, Archiving of the Commission on Preservation maintaining sufficient software and hardware, and Access and the Research Libraries Group and developing target scanning resolutions for to monitor and record the authenticity and different materials. On a national basis, digital veracity of digital data maintained by organi- archiving also involves developing a registry of zations. Some institutions might be selected to digital archival master files and determining a serve as digital time capsules to hold and basic economic model for sharing long-term migrate electronic records until their copy- retention costs. rights and privacy concerns have expired. A Digital watermarking: Refers to the use of repository might apply for certification and be encoded patterns in electronic files, such as subject to rigorous inspection or, alternatively, the DigimarcTM package, which allow the participants might be expected to meet a set of material's creator or owner to indicate owner- standards and customers might evaluate the ship and contact information and track down veracity and completeness of the data. uses of the material on the Web. Collections: (1) An accumulation of manuscripts, Document: The smallest complete unit of record archival documents, or materials having a or manuscript material accumulated to form a shared history of creation and ownership. A file (e.g., a letter, photograph, or report). A collection may be audio-visual, electronic, or document may consist of multiple sheets or textual in format (e.g., personal papers, orga- may have a recto (front) and verso (back), nizational records, or assembled collections). both of which carry information in a fixed form. Documents are also referred to as CRM No 2-1999 47 papers, records, and manuscripts. Documents Format: Refers to the document type or form, are most clearly described when referred to by such as the document's size and shape or the their specific formats and processes (document configuration of the media and support. For a types), such as albumen stereographs, outgo- fuller description of document types or formats ing correspondence, diaries, ink drawings, or see the Getty Information Institute's Art and field notebooks. Architecture Thesaurus, 2nd edition, (Oxford, Durable Naming Conventions: Refers to regis- England: Oxford University Press, 1994) for a tering and recording permanent and durable full hierarchical list of terms. names and locations for long-lived electronic Genre: Refers to the document's style, content, objects (documents, images, and other files) and form, including the document's purpose found on the Internet. Sometimes called URN (e.g., advertisements, presentation album), the or Universal Resource Names and numbers, document's viewpoint (e.g., panoramic view), durable naming conventions are viewed as the broad topical category (e.g., landscape, still natural successors to URLs. Durable naming life, portrait, or street scene), method of repre- conventions are storage system independent. sentation (e.g., abstract, figurative), circum- EAD: See Encoded Archival Description. stances of creation (e.g., amateur works, stu- Encoded Archival Description (EAD): A non- dent works), or function (e.g., dance cards, proprietary text encoding standard for archival death certificates). For a full list consult the finding aids (guides, registers, indices) which Thesaurus for Graphic Material II: Genre and preserves the hierarchical relationships Physical Characteristic Terms, 2nd ed., 1993, between levels of description, while allowing Library of Congress Cataloging Distribution for element-specific indexing and retrieval. Service, Washington, DC 20541. The standard uses Standard Generalized Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Refers Markup Language (SGML) as tags embedded to data maintained and linked to physical in electronic documents. These tags identify coordinates (spatially referenced), such as pre- and establish relationships among finding aid cise mapping data. Since the entire database parts and suggest an appropriate ordering to incorporates precise physical descriptors it the data elements found in a finding aid. may be displayed in ways not easily possible Ephemera: A broad category of documents origi- previously. nally created for temporary or short-term use, GIF: Refers to the Graphic Image File format, a such as advertisements, invitations, posters, digital file format used for still images. GIF programs, schedules, and tickets. files are extensively used on the Internet. Evidential value: Refers to the collection's abil- Historical documents: See assembled collec- ity to serve as historical or legal proof of an tions, documents, manuscripts, and personal activity, event, procedure, or process since the papers. record(s) are byproducts of these activities. Holdings: The sum total of all archival and man- Federal Records Centers (FRC): Regional uscript collections held in physical custody by records centers of the National Archives used an organization. See also archives, collec- as off-site storage records centers for federal tions, physical custody, and repository. agencies. See page 39. Holographic documents: Documents handwrit- Finding aid: (1) A broader term for any format of ten in the script of the individual who created textual or electronic tool that assists or signed them. researchers in locating or using archival and Information: Refers to data that has a clear link manuscript collections. Basic finding aids to a purpose or context, which requires a clear include guides (for example, repository, collec- definition, a unit of analysis, and a layer of tion, and subject guides), descriptive invento- human interpretation or mediation. To be use- ries, accession registers, card catalogs, special ful in a computer environment, information lists (for example, shelf and box lists), indexes, requires clear agreement on definitions and and (for machine-readable records) software communications standards. documentation. (2) The file guides, indexes, Information ecology: Refers to the science of registers, and aids produced by the records understanding and managing whole informa- creator, usually referred to as "control records" tion environments, primary, secondary, and or "contemporaneous finding aids." (3) The tertiary sources as well as data, information, specific type of descriptive tool described in and knowledge. the text above. See page 28. Information ecosystem: A metaphor that refers to the entire information environment in a 48 CRM No 2-1999 group, organization, agency, or body. The the scarce commodity is human attention, not ecosystem includes all those individuals and information. Human attention is labor, which units involved in creating, managing, using, gives information structure, usefulness, and and adaptively re-using primary, secondary, value-in effect making it knowledge. tertiary information sources. In an effective Information technology as a means to the end information ecosystem data, information, and of capturing the interest of students and schol- knowledge are all viewed as organizational ars. Technology democratizes access to infor- resources. mation, leading to expanding markets for Information Resource Management (IRM): knowledge workers and consumers. Generally refers to the use of technology Leaves: See sheets. (hardware and software) to manage data. Life expectancy: Refers to the length of time data Informational value: Refers to the subject con- will be usable in a system housed at 21°C and tent of the archival collections, such as the 50% relative humidity. people, groups, places, activities, events, Lossless compression: Refers to any process for objects, projects, and processes documented. compressing an image file that ensures that Integrity: Refers to collections whose prove- the file once uncompressed will look identical nance and original order are intact and whose to the original such as the TIFF file format. documentary context is complete. Lossy compression: Refers to any process for Intellectual control: The mastery or command compressing an image file that causes the file, established over the informational, evidential, once umcompressed to differ (not necessarily and contextual content of archival and manu- substantially) from the original appearance of script collections resulting from discovering the image file. and describing their provenance and original Manuscript collections: Groups of documents order and from the processes of arrangement that have been assembled due to their individ- and description. ual literary or historical values. Manuscript Intellectual Property Rights: Refers to copy- collections are frequently contrasted with rights, privacy rights, and publicity rights archives, which have a shared creator, a found in original works created by human shared history of ownership, and a shared intelligence. original order. See also manuscripts. Inventory: (1) A structured guide to an archival Manuscripts: Individual documents, primarily or manuscript collection that includes a brief textual, that have literary or historical value. history of the collection and a list of the mate- Manuscripts include a wide range of document rials arranged in series. Inventories function types from correspondence, book drafts, and as a type of finding aid. (2) A physical count of diaries to personal papers and resource man- a collection conducted for accountability pur- agement records. Manuscripts are often paper- poses. See also survey. based textual records. Items: Refers to individual documents or manu- MARC: Machine Readable Cataloging format scripts. An item may be composed of multiple refers to a electronic communications format sheets or may have both a recto (front) and a for the transmission of library cataloging data, verso (back) with writing or images on both later adapted and adopted by archivists. sides. Metadata: Refers to documentation about data, JPEG: Refers to a digital file format for use with such as descriptions of electronic files that still images created by the Joint Photographic effectively tell you the format, structure, con- Experts Groups. tents, and authority of the materials. Metadata Knowledge: Refers to information that has been standards, such as the Dublin Core and the judged valuable, synthesized, analyzed, and Encoded Archival Description Standards, are reflected upon by humans. Knowledge is diffi- developed and being adopted or adapted. cult to structure, transfer, and capture, and Monetary value: Refers to the dollar value may be difficult to express in symbols as it placed on rare or collectible manuscripts such requires some consensus on what is relevant, as autograph letters or photographs. Monetary what the data means, what the proper unit of value is affected by all of the other values analysis is, and what the purpose of the listed above. knowledge acquiring activity is. Museum records: Official records generated by Knowledge-based economy: Refers to Richard museums, such as accession, catalog, inven- Lanham's premise in the Electronic Word tory, and loan records. (1993) that in a knowledge-based economy, CRM No 2-1999 49 National Union Catalog of Manuscript Personal papers: The records created or accu- Collections (NUCMC): NUCMC is a valuable mulated during a lifetime by an individual or ongoing program of the Library of Congress family. They have an intact provenance and an that helps smaller archives distribute archival original order. Personal papers differ from collection descriptions over national biblio- archives in that they are routinely removed graphic utilities such as the Research Library from the custody of the collection creators and Information Network (RLIN). placed in external archival repositories, but Non-official records: Non-official records are they function as the archives of individuals assembled collections of copies and duplicates and must be treated with the same respect as created for reference purposes; acquired col- all collections. Parks may collect the personal lections of manuscripts from non-federal papers of individuals related to the park, such sources; resource management records; perma- as founding fathers, formative staff, or eminent nently active records; and materials acquired individuals associated with the history of the for reference and exhibition that don't fall site. under the definition of being federal records Photographs: A fundamental document type materials. found in all categories of records from museum Non-records: See non-official records. records to assembled collections. Photographs NUCMC: See National Union Catalog of come in many formats (for example, from Manuscript Collections. cartes-de-visites to stereographs), in a wide Official records: Collections of organizational variety of vantage points (for example, bird's- records that document the creation, develop- eye-view, microscope images, satellite images), ment, organization, functions, policies, deci- genres (for example, landscapes, still lifes, por- sions, procedures, operations, or other routine traits), and processes (for example, silver activities of the organization. Known as gelatin, carbon). Photographs are formed by "records" by the National Archives, official the action of radiation (usually light) upon a records are made or received by federal offices sensitized surface. While often thought of as a while transacting business and preserved as single process, photography is many hundreds evidence of the offices' actions or functions or of related chemical processes on a variety of because of the records' informational value. supports, such as metal, paper, plastic, or They may be active, in which case they are glass. retained by the agency or inactive, in which Photomechanicals: Multiple copies of images case they are appraised via NARA records made in ink from photographic printing plates. schedules and either disposed of or sent to a These permanent images include chromolitho- federal records center. graphs, duotones, halftones, offsets, photolith- Online order fulfillment services: Refers to ographs, photogravures, photoengravings, organizations which post non-publication silkscreens, and Woodburytypes. Photo- quality electronic text, images, sound files, and mechanical reproductions were most com- moving image files on the World Wide Web to monly used for postcards and for illustrations facilitate browsing and ordering these items for in books, magazines, and newspapers. purchase. Ordering and payment may take Physical control: See physical custody. place in an encrypted (safe) environment. Physical custody: Either temporary or perma- Original order: The functional filing arrange- nent custody of an archival or manuscript col- ment imposed on a document collection by its lection. Physical custody does not entail intel- creator. The original order of collections can lectual (cataloging and description in finding provide information not found elsewhere, such aids) control or copyright (the right to exhibit, as when the creator received a communica- publish, or prepare derivative works). This is tion, who reviewed a document, or what the particularly true for previously unpublished sequence of an administrative activity was. personal papers, organizational papers, or Original order should be preserved in a collec- other historic manuscript collections. In gen- tion as it allows for rapid arrangement, accu- eral, the creator of the records holds the copy- rate contextual research, and additional right. insight into the record creator's methods and Primary information sources: Refers to original activities. If a collection has no order because digital, textual, and audio-visual records of mismanagement or disaster, a decision to including documents, photographs, motion impose an order may be made only by an picture films, videotape, and electronic experienced archivist. records. 50 CRM No 2-1999 Primary value: Refers to the value that records the collection title, accession number, date of have to their creating organization, their origi- collection receipt, donor, collection status, and nal usefulness. other basic information for purposes of later Provenance: (1) The entity (for example, person, processing (arrangement, preservation, and family, organization, or office) that either cre- description). ated the records or accumulated them in the Rights management: Refers to the process of set- natural course of activity. (2) The history of ting up equitable financial systems and struc- physical custody of a collection or item. tures for balancing the rights of the copyright Provenience: Museum curators and archeolo- owners with the use interests of the public. gists use the term "provenience" to refer to the Secondary sources: Refers to publications such source or origins of objects and to the exact as monographs. location where the object was found or made. Secondary use: Refers to all use of information Quality control: Refers to various inspection beyond that for which it was originally cre- techniques and adjustment mechanisms used ated, for example: use in an archives is a sec- to ensure that the copy of an original docu- ondary use. ment meets the standards required by the con- Series: A group of documents arranged or main- tract. In microfilm and photography quality tained as a unit within a file system because of control includes chemical, densitometric, and their shared circumstances of creation, receipt, visual tests. With digital media, quality control or use. An example of a list of series would be: focuses more on systems calibrations, docu- 1) incoming correspondence, 2) outgoing cor- mentation, and adjustments to the equipment respondence, 3) photographs. after comparing the original to the copy. SGML: See the Standard Generalized Markup Records: (1) All information fixed in a tangible Language. (textual, electronic, audiovisual, or visual) Sheets: Individual pages, for example each page form that was created by an organization as of a 5-page letter. An individual sheet may part of its daily business. (2) Two or more data have both a recto (front) and verso (back). fields that are grouped as a unit in machine- Special collections: (1) Non-official collections readable records. (3) Official federal files, per of manuscripts, personal papers, non-federal the National Archives and Records corporate records, magnetic media, audio- Administration definition. visual materials, and other documents. (2) Records management: The process of determin- Non-textual records such as magnetic or ing the status, value, and disposition of an audio-visual materials. organization's records throughout their lifetime Standards: Archivists follow a wide variety of (for example, official or non-official; active or standards created by many associations and inactive; of permanent value or not as listed organizations, from the Society of American on the records schedule). Records manage- Archivists (SAA), the American National ment involves scheduling records for their ulti- Standards Institute (ANSI), and the mate disposition and arranging for their dispo- Association of Information and Image sition when that day comes. Management (AIIM), including standards for Recto: The facing page (front) of a single sheet of authority control, automated systems and net- text or images. works (see Z39.50-1992), data content and Reformatting: Preservation duplication of origi- cataloging (see APPM), data structure and nal archival materials through the use of long- exchange (see MARC), editing and publishing, lived copy technology such as silver halide non-cataloging structure and contents includ- microfilms or large format digital files and ing finding aids (see EAD), abstract prepara- computer output microfilms. tion, and information processing (see SGML), Register: A type of archival finding aid. As and statistical standards. SAA has a working defined by T. R. Schellenberg in Modern group on standards for archival description. Archives: Principles and Techniques, p. 66: "In Survey: A comprehensive and systematic review a register a record is made of documents in the of a collection conducted either to obtain a order in which they accumulate. The docu- brief overview of a collection or a park's hold- ments are assigned numbers consecutively. ings or to gain knowledge on a particular These numbers are the key by which the docu- point, such as the amount of cellulose nitrate- ments are controlled." Most modern regis- based negatives and film in a repository, or the ters, such as those at the Library of Congress, physical condition of a group of collections. are collection-level finding aids that contain Surveys may be conducted on any level (item CRM No 2-1999 51 to repository) and on any topic (for example, that serves as proof of ownership or origins of the amount of stereographs in a repository or an image. Electronic watermarks may allow the level of documentation on women in the the organization that watermarked the file to NPS). trace usage of the file on the Internet. Tertiary sources: Refers to published sources Wisdom: Refers to knowledge that has a pro- which draw their content from other published foundly human context allowing for life-long sources, such as text books, abstracting ser- analysis, reflection, and synthesis. Often based vices, and indices. upon a particular life experience, wisdom is Textual records: A broad category of written not necessarily the same from individual to records, including holographic, typed, word- individual, group to group, or organization to processed, and mechanically printed docu- organization. Often in organizations, the orga- ments, manuscripts, records, and archives. nizational wisdom and culture is expressed in TIFF: Refers to the Tagged Image/Interchange the mission statement which provides the con- File Format, a nonproprietary digital file for- text against which all activity can be judged as mat that has become a defacto standard. wise or unwise. Ambrose Bierce said, URL: Refers to Uniform Resource Locator, an "[Wisdom is a special knowledge in excess of addressing scheme for finding files on the all that is known." Internet. The URL tells you the type of Z39.50-1992: An information retrieval service resource, the host and domain name, the file definition and protocol specification for path and the file name. library applications developed jointly by the Verso: The reverse side (back) of a single sheet of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) text or images. and the National Information Standards Visual records: A broad category of records con- Organization (NISO). taining images including graphic, photo- Diane Vogt-O'Connor graphic, and photomechanical prints (in all formats from negative, direct positive, inter- positive transparency and slide, to print); drawings; paintings; and watercolors. Watermarking: (1) Refers to makers marks in paper that are formed when the paper fibers are in suspension and placed over a grid to allow the water to drain off. Watermarks are Printed on often used in determining the authenticity and recycled paper origins of a document by appraisers. (2) Also refers to the use of software to alter an elec- tronic document to produce a subtle pattern U.S. Department of the Interior FIRST CLASS MAIL National Park Service Postage & Fees Paid Cultural Resources (Suite 350NC) CRM u. S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW G-83 Washington, DC 20240 OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300 VOLUME 22 NO. 2 Cultural Resources Washington, DC The Value of Archives http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/arch.htm History Home Begin Your Journey Links to the Past Search I Contact The National Park Service stone summer 36:30 as a SR BREAK Yellowstone National Park The Value of Archives to National Park Service Historians Barry Mackintosh Biractory of 1998 Hejoriang Most professional disciplines dealing with cultural resources focus on particular resource types. Historical architects and landscape architects exist to understand and treat historic structures and cultural landscapes. Curators acquire and manage museum objects and collections. Archeologists derive meaning from sites containing remnants of structures, objects, and other traces of human activity. Ethnographers are concerned with places and features significant to groups traditionally associated with them. These discipline-related resource types organize the cultural resource management chapter of the National Park Service's Management Policies and the Service's Cultural Resource Management Guideline (NPS-28), which contain sections or chapters for archeological resources, cultural landscapes, historic structures, museum objects, and ethnographic resources. During the preparation of the last release of NPS-28, some NPS historians complained that they were being slighted. If the archeologists, architects, curators, etc., were getting chapters, why weren't they? The chapters were not for the disciplines, they were told, but for the management of the particular resources that fall within the disciplines' purview. There is no discrete class of resources for historians because history is not a resource-based discipline. Historians generally lack specialized expertise in performing research with, treating, and maintaining sites, structures, and objects. Although they sometimes use them in their research, their primary milieu is the written record. 1 of 5 11/20/00 5:48 PM The Value of Archives http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/arch.htm While the historical architect is examining the fabric of an old house for evidence of past modifications, and while the archeologist is excavating the presumed site of a vanished outbuilding to determine its location, dimensions, and other attributes, the historian will likely be using whatever archival documents he or she can find containing information about the property's ownership, improvement, occupancy, and use. Such documents may include photographs, maps, and other graphic depictions as well as written records: deeds, wills, inventories, letters, published and unpublished first-hand accounts, and SO on. These primary sources pertaining to sites, structures, and objects are to historians what these resources themselves are to the other professionals. A schoolchild assigned to do a paper on a historical topic is seldom expected to come up with new information or conclusions on that topic. It is sufficient for him or her to read a few secondary sources-books, encyclopedia articles, or other accounts written by others who may or may not themselves have done primary research on the topic-and summarize or synthesize their contents. Historians also use secondary sources to discover what others have learned and concluded about historical topics, but normally as a starting point for their use of primary sources to uncover new information enabling them to reevaluate prior conclusions and possibly reach different ones. This archival research is what fundamentally distinguishes the professional historian from both the young student and the popular historical writer. It follows, then, that historians have a vested interest in the proper management and use of archives, or primary source collections. Like the archivists charged with their management, they should be concerned that the documents are carefully preserved and handled; that they are maintained in their original order, which may shed additional light on the thinking behind their creation; and that access to them is facilitated by inventories or other finding aids. (Excellent guidance on handling archival documents and manuscripts is provided in Conserve O Gram Number 19/17, issued by the NPS Museum Management Program.) Unlike an archeological site, which once excavated no longer exists for future archeologists seeking new information with more sophisticated techniques, a properly maintained archival collection can be researched repeatedly by historians asking new questions about the topics it covers. The official records of public and private institutions and collections of personal papers are found in many repositories, including governmental archives, university libraries, and historical societies. The repository probably used most often by NPS historians is the National Archives, comprising the original building in Washington, D.C., the new Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland, 13 regional archives around the country, and presidential libraries for most presidents since Herbert Hoover. The National Archives, which holds the retired records of the federal government, is vital to NPS historians because SO many national park system areas commemorate and interpret the activities of federal officials 2 of 5 11/20/00 5:48 PM The Value of Archives http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/arch.htm and agencies, from presidents to the military services to the Bureau of Immigration. Among the federal agency records housed in the National Archives are those of the National Park Service. The NPS records, designated Record Group 79, are centered at Archives II, with smaller holdings in the regional archives in or near San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Fort Worth, Atlanta, Seattle, Boston, and Chicago. In addition to correspondence and other textual records, they include still and motion pictures, maps, plans, charts, and other graphic materials. Many official records pertaining to Yellowstone National Park are retained in an "affiliated archive" there under an agreement with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA's web site, at , contains essential information on the National Archives and its holdings, including the online version of NARA's Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. For direct access to the Record Group 79 portion of this guide, enter Archivists familiar with Record Group 79 can be reached on 301/713-7230. Administrative and environmental historians addressing the NPS, its parks, and its activities can seldom avoid research visits to one or more National Archives facilities. They will also do well to visit the NPS History Collection in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and the NPS Historic Photo Collection in nearby Charles Town, West Virginia, both archival components of the Service's Harpers Ferry Center. The keepers of the NPS History Collection collect, inventory, and maintain many kinds of material, beyond official records subject to NARA disposition requirements, that document and illustrate the history of the NPS and its parks and may not be saved systematically elsewhere. Themes represented include development of the national park concept, the history of historic preservation, the history of interpretation, women in the NPS, park-related tourism, the Civilian Conservation Corps, park forestry, the American Revolution Bicentennial, and NPS uniforms and insignia. Among the collection's contents are duplicates of selected official records, legislation, and executive orders; annual reports of secretaries of the interior, NPS directors, and park superintendents; reports of official conferences and staff meetings; master plans and interpretive prospectuses; interpretive and informational publications; personal papers of, biographical data on, and transcripts of interviews with NPS officials and park supporters; and NPS uniforms, badges, and other artifacts. Further information about the collection can be obtained by calling 304/535-6262. The NPS Historic Photo Collection encompasses about 100,000 images dating from 1890 to the present, including those by official NPS photographers from 1929 to 1980. Illustrating many of the topics covered in the NPS History Collection, they are also valuable primary sources for park historians. More information about this collection is available on 304/535-6707. 3 of 5 11/20/00 5:48 PM The Value of Archives http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/arch.htm It would be impossible to list all the archival repositories useful to NPS historians because their research interests are SO wide-ranging. At the risk of slighting many equally relevant ones, only a few more will be mentioned here. Papers of ten NPS directors, sometimes limited to the desk files they kept during their directorships, are in four university libraries in addition to Archives II. The University of California at Berkeley holds papers of Stephen T. Mather. The University of California at Los Angeles holds papers of Horace M. Albright. Clemson University holds papers of Russell E. Dickenson, George B. Hartzog, Jr., William Penn Mott, Jr., and Ronald H. Walker. The University of Wyoming holds papers of Arthur E. Demaray and Conrad L. Wirth. Archives II holds papers of Arno B. Cammerer and Newton B. Drury and other papers of Albright and Wirth within Record Group 79. The Denver Public Library's Conservation Library has numerous collections on its topic, including papers of the Nature Conservancy and the Wilderness Society. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in Harrisburg holds the papers of J.Horace McFarland, a leading proponent of the National Park Service as president of the American Civic Association in the first decades of the 20th century. The University of Maryland's McKeldin Library contains the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library, which houses records of the National Trust and a major collection on preservation including the papers of Frederick L. Rath, Jr., and interviews by preservation historian Charles B. Hosmer, Jr. Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site preserves the extensive records of the landscape architecture firm founded by Olmsted and continued by his sons. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., participated in the creation of the National Park Service and shaped many park landscapes. The Library of Congress holds the papers of many early presidents beginning with George Washington, Booker T. Washington, Harold L. Ickes, and numerous other noted figures. It is also the repository for the documentation produced by the Service's Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record. A personal experience exemplifies the value of archives to NPS historians reexamining accepted interpretations of the past. George Washington Carver, whom the NPS is charged with interpreting at George Washington Carver National Monument and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site (where he taught under Booker T. Washington), has been widely credited with creating hundreds of new products from peanuts, thereby stimulating their production and freeing southern agriculture from dependence on 4 of 5 11/20/00 5:48 PM The Value of Archives http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/arch.htm cotton. Research in the Carver papers at Tuskegee, the Booker T. Washington papers in the Library of Congress, and contemporary agricultural publications and production records at the National Agricultural Library revealed that few of Carver's "discoveries" were new or commercially viable, and that peanut production peaked before he became popularly associated with the crop. The NPS could legitimately present Carver as a noted teacher and humanitarian, but not as a scientific discover who transformed the South's economy. Of course, appealing historical myths die hard: a new poster in the Service's history office in Washington featuring noted African Americans pictures Carver with the caption "Revolutionized agriculture in the South"! Barry Mackintosh is NPS bureau historian in the National Register, History, and Education Program. Last Modified: Wed, Mar 17 1999 07:43:54 am EDT ParkNet National Park Service 5 of 5 11/20/00 5:48 PM Conceptual Organization and Retrieval of Text by Historians: The Role of Memory and Metaphor Donald Owen Case Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024 As electronic text files increase in number and diversity, Jones (1986) notes that most computer systems use the problem of devising a more effective information primarily name-oriented approaches in their depiction retrieval interface grows more important. Future de- and display of files, and that the growth in named files signs may draw upon cognitive theories of categoriza- tion and metaphor to understand how users interact has led to problems of recall ("what did I call that with text-both paper and electronic. Relevant literature file?") and recognition ("what's in that file?"). Thus, one in cognitive psychology and information science sug- of the major problems facing system designers lies in gests the importance of the user's physical environment providing methods for naming, organizing, indexing, in thinking about abstract entities, such as categories and displaying files in such a way that users can effec- of documents. Empirical studies have established a ba- sis for understanding how we think about, file, remem- tively retrieve the right ones. We do not fully under- ber, and locate text. Results from a study of 20 stand how text files are best depicted on computer historians-ar exemplary group in terms of their close screens SO that they match the user's mental model of studies of texts and the broad scope of their inquiries- how files are stored and retrieved (Borgman, 1986). imply the importance of metaphors for storage and re- Partly this is because we do not fully understand how trieval of documents. The study found that metaphors and subjective categories were frequently applied to individuals name, file, and find paper documents. documents collected and created by these scholars. Thus, the problem of filing and retrieving documents- Two physical factors - spatial configuration and docu- whether paper or electronic--is of particular relevance ment often considered before topic in deter- to designers of the computer interface. mining document storage locations in the office. Information scientists have long studied user interac- Developers of information systems should consider qualitative aspects of cognition in their designs. System tion with both printed and computer files. This article developers might also consider segmenting the audi- suggests how future models of text storage and retrieval ence for computer interfaces, as well as designing can be informed by research on subjective aspects of generic tools that apply to all users. cognition. One source of models are the experiences of actual users, as collected through qualitative interviews and inventories. This article begins by reviewing cogni- Introduction tive research of possible relevance to interface design, People who work with printed information may need and then applies those ideas to a study of the text- to keep track of hundreds, or even thousands, of paper handling of American historians. and electronic files. While storing and retrieving paper documents efficiently has always been a challenge, the Relevant Research in Cognitive Psychology and growth of electronic text files has made the situation Information Science increasingly more problematic. Not only must individu- als manage files on paper, but they must also keep track Use of Categories and Metaphors of documents that may never reach paper, e.g., word- processing files. The field of cognitive psychology has contributed greatly to our knowledge of human information- processing. Categorization is a topic of particular rele- vance to the design of information retrieval systems. Received February 1, 1990; revised September 8, 1990; accepted October 1, 1990. The tendency of humans to sort their experience into labelled categories has been addressed by such scholars c 1991 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. as Ludwig Wittgenstein (1953) who developed ideas of JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE. 42(9):657-668, 1991 CCC 0002-8231/91/090657-12$04.00 extendable boundaries and family resemblances, and metaphor" for computer storage. Nonetheless, the appro- Lofte Zadeh (1963) who discussed gradiated member- priateness of the office metaphor-and the use of analo- ship in "fuzzy" sets. Categorization is thought to be fun- gies in general-h been challenged by various damental to human thinking: "virtually all cognitive researchers. Halasz and Moran (1982) view analogies of activity involves and is dependent on the process of cate- complex systems-such as computer procedures and ac- gorizing" (Bruner, Goodnow, & Austin, 1956, p. 246). tions-as potentially limiting, misleading, or otherwise Recently the researcher most closely associated with harmful to user understanding. The most compelling ev- categorization theories has been Eleanor Rosch (1975, idence against the use of analogy in the computer inter- 1978), of the University of California at Berkeley. face has been assembled by Susan Dumais of Bellcore, Rosch was the first to develop systematic explanations who has conducted a series of experiments (Dumais & of the effects of prototypes in thinking. Her work, and Jones, 1985; Jones & Dumais, 1986; Dumais & the general importance of categorization to human Wright, 1986) comparing various ways of filing thinking, were featured in George Lakoff's Women, Fire computer objects. While they have demonstrated that and Dangerous Things (1987), which introduced this as- physical analogies do less well than simple naming, pect of cognition to a larger audience. Rosch and her the experimental tasks do not accurately reflect colleagues have an impressive record of published stud- real world environments or behaviors. As Kwasnik ies that establish the principles of natural categorization (1989, p: 147) says, it is impossible to validly conduct re- and connect it with other research topics in cognition, search on labeling of meaningful documents outside of such as mental imagery and semantic representation. the individual's usual environment. Based on work by Rosch and others, Johnson (1987) Other researchers are less condemning of analogical and Lakoff and Johnson (1980) have offered compelling applications. Guastello and Traut (1989) find that evidence that much of our language-related behavior, "mixed modality metaphors-icons that included three such as categorization, is grounded in our physical ex- to eight character names as well as pictorial representa- perience. Studies of language usage show that thought tions-are more effective than either names or pictures is embodied (that is, it is grounded in bodily perception, alone in the design of the computer interface. Grudin movement and physical experience) and imaginative (1989) agrees with critics of analogical approaches to (i.e., it uses metaphor, imagery and other imaginative the user interface, noting that correspondences to the relationships between ideas and things). The strongest real world in user interface analogies must break down evidence for this view comes from language behavior, at some point. Yet the many counter-intuitive examples in which many of our expressions indicate that we un- he presents show that any strict consistency in user derstand and experience one kind of thing in terms of interfaces can be limiting, whether based on analogy or another-that is, our thinking is often metaphorical. In not. Halasz and Moran (1982) point out that analogy particular, Lakoff and Johnson (1980, pp. 17-18) point can be effective in portraying specific points of a com- out that most fundamental concepts are organized in plex concept. terms of spatial metaphors: "In some cases spatializa- It is clear that the effective use of analogy and tion is SO essential a part of a concept that it is difficult metaphor must be based on knowledge of the potential for us to imagine any alternative metaphor that might users-not all icons or actions will be familiar to every- structure the concept. In our society 'high status' is body. Guastello and Traut (1989) show that population such a concept." characteristics are related to the ability to recognize in- The relevance of cognitive theories have been recog- terface icons, and can be used to improve their design. nized in artificial intelligence, which has used them to Restorick (1986) has suggested the importance, in filing model human information processing (for examples see system designs, of matching the user's perception of the Rich (1979) and Gentner and Stevens (1983)). Within way information is characterized and stored in conven- the field of information science, various authors tional office settings. Hence, the design of information (Najarian, 1981; Evans, 1982; Ingerwersen, 1982; Fine, systems and interfaces is best based on studies of user 1984; Ellis, 1989) have also suggested that we need to characteristics, as also suggested by Swift, Winn & delve deeper into human cognition in order to improve Bramer (1979), Borgman, Case, and Meadow (1985) and both manual and automated information systems. Neill Croft and Thompson (1987). (1990) has specifically identified the body's influence on How can we learn more about human cognition in thinking as a difficult hurdle for the representation and regards to the categorization, storage, and retrieval of retrieval of knowledge. documents? Through examinations of the physical set- Thus far, the research reviewed here implies that tings in which users work with documents and carry out computer inferfaces that will be most effective are those storage and retrieval actions. Many scholars of informa- that correspond most closely to the physical environ- tion have focused their attention on library settings (a ment in which we deal with documents. These principles public arena for information). Yet other studies have have in fact been applied to the computer interface and approached this topic through examinations of the per- are popularly known as the "office" or "desktop sonal office (a private knowledge environment). This 658 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION 1991 article follows the latter approach in studying personal standing of the spatial element becomes less vital while information systems. knowledge of the category structures becomes more important. Frequent interaction with the "action" infor- mation is necessary to prevent the spatial clues from Studies of Document Categorization becoming indistinct. In the case of personal work files, Anyone who works with artifacts of information de- Cole noted that retrieval can be based on memory of a velops ways to organize them for efficient retrieval. file's location or by 'mapping' storage schemes onto Among the items that an office worker might need to physical locations. Archives are dealt with only rarely organize are publications (journals, books, individual and almost exclusively through an extensive category articles, and papers), correspondence, source materials structure. Cole called for further research to investigate and notes, and nonprint media (magnetic computer the best ways to implement spatial dimensions in the tapes and diskettes, audio and video tapes, optical disks, computer interface and to enrich temporal (e.g., date) and photographs, illustrations, and other forms of visual and physical (e.g., color, shape, and size) retrieval cues expression). Somehow individuals organize personal col- for electronic files. lections of files to optimize their own patterns of use, yet Several other studies have examined people who also in ways that enable them to relate their files to the work with literature of various types. Malone's (1983) work of others. Cognitive categories, while individual- case studies of research scientists and clerical office ized, are also somewhat consensual in nature: they are workers were sparked by his interest in designing better shaped by agreement within a social group, such as col- computer interfaces. He made three primary observa- leagues in the same research field (Swift, Winn, & tions about the way these information workers orga- Bramer, 1979; Douglas, 1986). For "knowledge work- nized their information. First, Malone found that the ers," organizing the information they use must repre- difficulty of categorizing information was the critical sent an enormous chore. How do they do it effectively? factor in determining how people arrange their working Until recently, few investigators have examined how materials. Respondents organized much of their work- people actually organize and store information impor- ing materials into small stacks around their offices ac- tant to them. Among the few early examples are cording to "type," such as articles and notes relevant to Jahoda, Hutchens, and Galford (1966) and Soper (1976). a particular project. But the typical respondent's office Their studies used survey techniques to examine per- contained more loosely defined piles of mixed content, sonal collections and indices, focusing on what people many of them arranged chronologically, in which in the did with documents and how they did it, but not why order of placement in the stack serves as a cue to re- they chose to do it in the ways they did. A similar pat- trieval. A second finding of Malone's was the tendency tern is followed by texts such as Jahoda (1970) and of respondents to arrange materials in such a way as to Stibic (1980), which concentrate on how to create opti- remind themselves of what to do, as well as to help lo- mal personal files. cate information. Thus, there were piles of correspon- While information is usually captured in physical dence to be answered, journals to be read, and general form, its labels and meaning are often culturally- lists of things to do. Malone found that the proximity of determined, as suggested in research on information re- these stacks to the respondent's chair was an indicator trieval by Neill (1983). We need to understand users' of the importance or urgency of the tasks it repre- motivations in document storage and retrieval, how sented: the closer it is, the greater the need of atten- they impose meaning on text, how they develop labels tion-a metaphorical use of space. Finally, Malone for categories of documents and how they retrieve them identified two common types of document processing at later times. problems: items that defy ready action or categoriza- One of the first attempts to understand the "why" of tion, and items that one needs readily at hand. Both personal information systems was the study by Cole often end up in piles, the number of which are related (1982). Cole surveyed 30 office workers and their filing to the worker's style and type of work (e.g., routine or systems, concluding that the six most important aspects nonroutine). of information were "type, form, volume, complexity, Case (1986) interviewed 60 university professors in functions, and levels of storage," although the first five their offices and observed the number of stacks of ma- of these were not fully defined by him. Regarding the terials lying around the office; the linear footage of sixth aspect, Cole said his respondents interacted with books, journals, and notebooks on the shelves; and the three "levels" of information in their files: "action in- number of filing cabinet drawers and other storage formation" (documents readily at hand and sometimes devices. Despite no obvious shortage of other storage found in stacks on office surfaces), "personal work devices, he found that respondents kept an average of files" (held in conventional filing devices and furniture) 19 (and as many as 49) stacks of documents in their and "archive storage" (information stored away from offices. Thus, the variety of workers studied by both the office). As information moves across these three Malone and Case used a great many stacks as a physical levels, from "action" to "archive," the user's under- scheme of organization, suggestive of a backlog of docu- JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE-Octobe 1991 659 ments that were either frequently used or difficult to rians, undertaken to better understand scholarly work classify. in general and that particular community of scholars. Kwasnik (1989) used the methods of cognitive an- This was a qualitative study of scholars in the setting of thropology in her study of the influence of context on their offices. In line with the advice of Glaser and the way in which eight professors classified documents Strauss (1967) and Turner (1981), the study included in their offices. Her qualitative study suggested that overlapping data from various sources, in order to build context-the situation, predisposition or history of the a thicker description of the phenomena under study. individual-sometime plays a more powerful role in The sources of data included lengthy interviews, obser- categorization decisions than the attributes of the docu- vations taken in the workplace and at conferences of ment itself. Categorization of one thing always takes historians, and examinations of documents written by place in relation to other things-a prototype of a cate- respondents and other historians. gory, for example. The descriptive dimensions that The study examined documents collected and ab- Kwasnik found to be most often used by subjects in stracted from outside sources as well as text produced their classification decisions included form (e.g., by the scholar. Investigated was the labeling and storing "book"), use or purpose (e.g., "to give a lecture of relevant passages of text, and the experience of time (e.g., frequency of use of, or age of, a document), searching through those items. Observations focused topic (e.g., "role reversal"), location (e.g., "things on the on documents collected by the historian, "abstracting" desk") and circumstance (e.g., an ongoing project). of those documents (by way of glosses, notes, and in- Kwasnik's investigation provides an in-depth picture of dexes), categorizing of the text and the creation of new the way in which people identify important concepts, documents through the historian's writing process. organize meanings and form rules for categorization. All of these studies suggest a tradeoff between physi- The Historian as Expert User of Text cal and mental efforts in the categorization of text. That is, that sometimes we use only spatial orientation Historians were chosen as subjects for a variety of to organize documents and at other times we use space reasons, not the least of which is that there have been in combination with explicit labels for document cate- precious few studies of these scholars actually do in gories. The investigations by Cole, Malone, Case, and their work (notable exceptions are Uva, 1977, Stieg, Kwasnik also suggest both similarities and differences 1981, and Orbach, 1984). According to one scholar among various user populations. Since the studies were (Tilly, 1981, p. 14), historians are people who read, con- not parallel in methods, it is difficult to tell how similar dense, collect, assimilate, transform, and synthesize the academics studied by Case and Kwasnik are to the written records of past times and commentaries on office workers in the Cole and Malone studies. those records. The primary task of historian lies in A reading of this literature suggested a further study scanning a textual environment for stimuli (books, peri- of filing in the office. Research questions, results, and odicals, letters, diaries, etc.) that match certain charac- their interpretation follow. teristics, and absorbing and interpreting those stimuli in terms of a larger historical theme or theory. Research Questions Germane to this article, historians are a fruitful group to study because, in order to do their work effec- Among the research questions suggested by earlier tively and efficiently, they must develop techniques to investigations are the following: identify, scan, index, file and retrieve large amounts of Do the same facets of storage noted by Cole and written material relevant to their projects. Compared to Kwasnik appear in scholarly work, e.g., the writing many other academic specialists, the work of the histo- of books and articles on history? rians may involve a broader range of methods and top- Do scholars think about the contents of documents ics, a circumstance that would allow us to relate their as having a physical form, e.g., do they talk meta- information behavior with that of knowledge workers phorically about the concepts they discuss in their in several other fields. Although their work encom- written work? passes some of the same topics studied by the social These questions, coupled with a desire to learn more sciences, it emphasizes the dimension of time-often about the nature of historical scholarship, led the au- ignored by other disciplines that study human behavior. thor to conduct the study described below. While the historian's tasks are largely cognitive, it is the interaction between their mental and physical pro- An Example of Text Organization and Retrieval cessing of written material that is at the heart of this by Historians study: how is it that the texts selected by the historian as "relevant" are indexed and stored for later retrieval? Dimensions of the Investigation That is, how does the historian manage-through spa- tial placement and physical and mental labelling-the The suggestions and insights presented here were large quantities of text that are gathered in the process gathered during a study of the work of American histo- of creating an "original" work? 660 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE-Octob 1991 Obviously the work of historians may vary with the search and teaching interests, current research projects, stages of their research projects. Connecting all phases, methodologies used in research, nature and location of however, is the need to "collect" (in at least a mental, materials used in research, personal filing and indexing and more often a physical sense) portions of written in- methods (for books, articles, notes, etc.), numbers of formation, and to "store" them for future use. The na- shelves for books, journals and other materials, num- ture of historians' work makes them a useful example of bers of filing drawers (and their contents), equipment the effective use of categorization in a cognitive task- and furniture in the office, and use of computers and a population that could provide us with insights on the other technologies. Regarding the historian's files, the indexing, storage, and retrieval of documents. Among distribution of stacks of papers and books was observed other things, historians are experts in managing text. and questions were asked about their content and pur- pose. The interviews discussed the terms created for labels of subject-oriented files, the degree to which Methodology time-oriented categories were used, and what kinds of Over the winter of 1988 preliminary work was accom- items are difficult to categorize and/or retrieve from plished, including literature reviews and development storage. of an interview schedule and observation methods Sketches were also made of the historians workplace. through pretest interviews with two historians. Once These were used to analyze the ways in which the re- the instruments and procedures were ready, intensive spondents dealt with information in its physical form. interviews, typically lasting 60 to 90 minutes, were con- Citations to the published work of the repondents also ducted with an additional 18 historians over a five- were collected in order to better understand the topics month period during the spring and summer of 1988. and methods of each respondent through an examina- Respondents were selected from eight universities tion of sample articles and books. These were comple- (two private, six public) in the states of California and mented by examination of historical textbooks and Arizona. Four of these universities were "research" in- published descriptions of historical methods by noted stitutions, as SO designated by the Carnegie Foundation historians-material too broad to be covered here (see (1987), and accounted for 12 respondents. The other Case, 1991). four institutions were primarily devoted to teaching and included one "doctoral," one "comprehensive," and one "liberal arts" institution according to the Carnegie Results classification; together, the latter four universities pro- The following passages describe patterns noticed vided eight respondents. across several (but rarely all) interviews, and make use For purposes of comparability of interests (in terms of quotations and examples. To provide the reader with of geography and time periods), the sample was re- a better idea of how many historians involved in a par- stricted to historians of the United States. The sam- ticular generalization, the interviews from which the pling frame used were lists of full-time faculty at each conclusions or quotations are drawn are noted by the university, taken from the Guide to Departments of interview numbers (1-20, in parentheses). History, 1987-88 (Vincent-Morgan, 1987). Faculty iden- tified by their departments as "on leave" were not con- tacted. A total of 94 potential subjects identified on The Office Scenario these lists were contacted by telephone and/or visits to their departments. Nearly all historians successfully With three exceptions, offices were crowded with contacted were subsequently interviewed (there were furniture, equipment and printed material. The excep- four who declined or postponed an interview). Thus, an tions (10, 12, 14) were respondents who had very small additional 18 historians were interviewed, bringing the office spaces, including one who was forced to share an total to 20 (21% of the sampling frame). The sample is office with another instructor. Objects commonly found in historians' offices were: not assumed to fully represent the 16,000 or so Ameri- can historians resident at United States universities. Furniture (desk, bookcases, file cabinets, chairs, The sample is biased in favor of males (19), more etc.) senior faculty (11 professors, three associates and six as- Equipment (phones, answering machines, comput- sistant professors) and probably in favor of faculty who ers, microfilm readers, etc.) spent more time in their offices. By and large these Personal belongings (clothing, dishes, food, radios, were accomplished scholars: most (15) had written at art objects, toys, etc.) Artifacts of information: books (personal and li- least one book and one as many as seven; most had also brary copies), journals (personal and library copies), published several articles and one more than 20. newspapers, articles (individual copies-photo- Verbal responses were taped as well as recorded on copies and reprints), notes (taken by the historian), an interview schedule. Later the two types of records manuscripts (of work in progress), magnetic tapes were merged to form selective transcripts, organized by (computer, audio, and video), and visual materials interview topic. Questions and observations covered re- (photographs, slides, prints, etc.) JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE-October 1991 661 The scholars interviewed tended to keep a great deal about the same height and construction they simply of printed and other information in their offices: books look wrong when placed together-a factor that this and journals on shelves, papers in and on top of filing discussion will ignore as too much a matter of individ- cabinets, and papers, books and journals spread out ual taste, as with the respondent (19) who kept "old over desks and tables. The sheer amount of these mate- books, or at least books that appear old" on a separate rials is difficult to estimate, given the variance among shelf. But the second reason is relevant to the discus- factors such as length and "fullness" of shelves and file sion: the shape and feel and look of the book were a drawers. For example, it can be said that the number of part of the experience in both reading and subsequent shelves of books ranged from as few as three to as many recall of the material. One would not look at the as 64, but the shelves themselves ranged in length from shelves of paperbound books to find the copy of Carr's 28 inches to 42 inches, and were found in varying de- What is History? because one could remember that it grees of fullness. Working habits also varied widely, was a hardbound book. And one would not bother to with some respondents doing virtually all of their work check the index for the passage about Karl Popper, be- at home-and SO having few stacks of paper in their cause one knew that it appeared three-fifths of the way offices, while some had dozens of piles of books, arti- through, on those pages with the most margin notes. cles, and papers around their offices. Suffice to say that It might seem an obvious point that since we have to the model respondent had in his or her office 35 full live in a physical environment, that form would take shelves of books and journals, two four-drawer filing precedence over content in some situations. After all, cabinets, and 12 stacks of materials representing some libraries emphasize form over content when they place kind of teaching or research activity in progress. oversized or undersized books together-purely an ac- It is worth noting that even scholars who work pri- commodation to the efficient use of shelves and racks. marily at home use their university office as the main But it is important to recognize that physicality is im- storage area for the teaching and administrative aspects portant even to those whose primary job is to empha- of their work. Thus, studying the secondary workplace size content. Whatever their degree of concern with may provide some clues as to how their main workplace ideas, historians also consider the form in which they is organized. are written. At the top level of organization, then, the factors Organization by Spatial Constraints were largely physical: consideration of spatial con- straints, followed by attention to form. As in most offices and libraries, the primary object was to keep like things together while satisfying other constraints. These other factors included the need Organization by Form to keep some things close at hand (e.g., frequently used It was with books that the broadest categories (and material), to fit within the particular physical confines sometimes subcategories) were evident in the descrip- of the space (e.g., available bookshelf space, space tions which respondents gave of their groupings. In and size of room) and to provide some kind of remind- contrast, journals were typically kept separate from ing function (e.g., keeping materials for this week's books and grouped simply by title. classes on the floor, where they would be impossible to While a few respondents went to considerable length overlook). to index their "holdings," indexes to books and journal "Keeping like things together" can mean a number articles were usually simple, if they existed at all. As of things. As in libraries, scholars also strive to keep revealed by respondents, much of the "organization and documents on similar topics as close to one another as retrieval" of texts occurs during the act of writing and possible, within the limits of three-dimensional space. not before. The function of many of the cards and com- Yet above that all-important level of organization is sus- puterized lists used by historians were to capture and pended another: it is often desirable to keep like forms sequence ideas and references to be used in writing a together. Obviously some forms simply do not go well specific document. Many of the cards did not exist be- together physically: it is difficult to intersperse individ- fore production of the document was begun, although ual articles with books, for example-although two re- they were often maintained after the writing project spondents did this by using paperboard containers for was over. groups of papers. In the most elaborate example of a system to aid Yet some forms easy to interfile were not found to- writing, a historian (12) of black Americans maintained gether. For example, respondents usually keep journals hundreds of thousands of 5 X 7-inch cards, held with on separate shelves (or even sides of the room) and rubber bands in metal card files. These cards were used sometimes store hard-bound books separate from pa- to create detailed chronologies of what the most impor- perbound books. In terms of subject classification, tant subjects in his books had done during their lives. there is no justification for doing the latter, but two These were organized first by year and month, then by other reasons for doing SO appeared in the interviews. personal name, then by specific event (e.g., "Harper's The first is aesthetics- some, if books are not of Ferry") or continuing events (e.g., "Social Life"). Cards 662 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE-October 1991 were also used to record relevant bibliographic refer- Civil War, Reconstruction, Progressive Era, New Deal, ences, facts and problems to think about. Some cards Cold War, Foreign policy yeah, they are sort of were added or updated virtually every day. chronological through sort of a mixture of chronologi- Twelve (60%) of the respondents maintained some cal and topical. kind of card file to index the books and/or articles they Respondent #19 had the following categories (each a had collected and read in support of their scholarship. separate shelf, except for three categories that occupied But very few of these were like library catalogs in either two shelves each) their purpose or exhaustiveness. In some cases, the in- Western civilization, American literature, books about dexes did not attempt to inventory everything the American literature, Old books duplicates of books scholar owned, but rather only those relevant to a writ- at home general religion, sociology, twentieth cen- ing project currently underway-three were keeping tury, women's studies, black studies, textbooks, miscel- such a card index at the time of the interviews. Several laneous books, writings of Thomas Jefferson, English (13, 15, had tried to develop an index for their entire History In theory the books on each shelf have document collection, but had abandoned it. One re- something in common. spondent (13) had tried with a controlled list of terms as many as five times, but gradually gave up each attempt. Several respondents kept most of their books at In this respect the historians seemed similar to the sci- home, or used few to begin with, but still used a two- entists described by Burton (1981): sporadic efforts to level scheme in which books were organized topically build or update an indexing/filing system that is not within chronological periods. otherwise maintained. Most historians had faith and even pride in their Despite an antitechnology bias in a tradition- categories. Respondent 11 says of his categorization oriented profession, it is clear that many historians are scheme: "By this time I know what I'm doing my willing to try any device that promises to help them course, my books, and my files are organized about the with their filing and writing. Many of them had already same way, a combination of periods and topics and I find that it works very well most historians don't tried various manual or automated systems for keeping track of their literature, often abandoning it after a even think in terms of subject authority it's [only] the time. In this respect they were quite like the individuals sort of thing that you would have to do if you used a studied by Cole, who concluded that (1982, p. 60): "In- computer." dividuals often start to construct an elaborate filing sys- Some used geographical designations, such as "the Western movement" or "Latin America." At times the tem, including the use of color coding and hierarchical classification, but discontinue it after a time." Dumais labels for chronological periods were those recently (1988) notes that indexing in the paper-and-pencil envi- adopted by the Journal of American History (Gilmore, ronment entails high costs for the benefits received in 1989), which seems to be responding to their common later retrieval, whereas in a computer system the trade- use among historians. One respondent (20) described offs are more favorable. Historians in this study were the value of chronological organization in his work in these words: sometimes skeptical about the prospect of computers or even manual tools helping them with their work (11, What is difficult is if you don't want to keep making up 15,17). One respondent (15) reached back 20 years a lot cards for each one the reason that I always start in time to ridicule the use of rod-and-card tickler files by putting it in chronology is I'm not necessarily sure of of cards by himself and his colleagues, before continu- what the categories until I see the lay of the land is on ing on to scoff at the present-day obsession with the project itself. So I start off by saying that I want to do something on labor and the movies. But what ex- computers. actly? I'm not absolutely sure So the easiest thing to do when you start off, when you're looking through mi- Organization by Topic crofilms and manuscripts is to put things chronologi- It is only at the third level of organization that we cally Then I just go through all the cards and create reach what we typically think of when we discuss intel- the categories as I'm going along. lectual access: "topic" or "subject." Respondents were Most (15) respondents chose to organize their files asked to go "around" their office and talk about what and notes mainly by some arrangement of topics. was there. A typical statement came from respondent Among those 15 historians, 10 chose to organize also by #9, whose entire book collection was in his office, orga- chronological period or event, either in combination nized by topic with topical categories or as a secondary level. Two his- and somewhat chronologically over there you have torians said they organized their material strictly some things on American literature and most of these chronologically, and another one by topic within peri- middle files concern legal history textbooks, general ods. The remaining two historians claimed to organize textbooks on American history and then I go their materials only by author's name-which could be chronologically: Colonial Period, Late 19th century, considered a kind of indirect subject organization. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION 1991 663 Organization by Treatment, Purpose, or Quality Yet another respondent (20) emphasized how closely in- The next level of storage was a more specific level tertwined is categorization with his writing: that defies a comprehensive label. At this level begins When I get ready to write, I go through the cards and I to emerge some distinctions among broad topics that reorganize them into categories. For example, I will are not necessarily hierarchical. For instance, one pull cards that have to do with specific films made by group of materials might be of a certain intellectual labor. I will pull cards that have to do with specific genre (e.g., biographies). One respondent (19) even government agencies that got involved with film- broke out a shelf by quality (" Good' recent American making, and put them by agency. I will pull cards and put them in a category "Censorship." In other words, intellectual histories, 'bad' recent intellectual histo- [for] the main categories that I am going to write ries"). Many respondents kept textbooks separate, ei- on once I see what it looks like its easy for me to go ther within or outside of broader topic areas-a through the cards and put them in what I can see are distinction by purpose. going to be the sections of either a book or an article. In summary, apparent in virtually every interview was a concern with four levels of storage: One respondent (12) expressed the comments of oth- ers when he described his problems in keeping track of Space (physical space, as configured by walls, book- things by the labels he had assigned to them: "So often shelves, etc.) a piece of material falls into two or three categories. Form (single page, multipage, paperbound book, You can't constantly take it out of one and put it in the hardbound book, other media) other files, but you can make duplicates of it and the Topic (broad subject, e.g., "foreign affairs," or a computer is going to be of value in doing that kind of time period, e.g., "early national") Treatment (e.g., biographies) or purpose (text- thing." In a similar vein, another historian (19) de- books, books for class) or quality ("good" versus scribes why he sometimes files duplicates in one or two "bad" examples). additional folders: Here a parallel appears with cross-cultural studies of In a more slipshod system you lose track of stuff and color perception and naming, which show that black the critical moment comes and you can't find it when and white are the first colors to be university recog- you need it. And you waste lots of time looking for it. I nized with a name, followed by red and then either yel- tend to have that problem, practically every day! The problem is that what I file could be filed in any one of low or blue or green. A similar pattern emerges in several folders I don't always remember what the de- offices: it is the physical space that is first given priority cision was. in document location, and then the physical form of the document. It is the third level that contains the factor Like the students studied by Kuhlthau (1988), these typically of most concern to the information scientist: respondents would sometimes express anxiety when that of the specific topics of the document. (Topical discussing the early stages of a research project. More relevance, it should be noted, it is implied by the docu- experienced scholars learn to conquer their fear of un- ment's very presence in the office.) certainty when approaching new material. Presumably this is because accomplished scholars have learned how to adroitly develop categories for their new research Forming and Labeling Categories and "saturate" them with examples that clarify their boundaries. From this stage follow definitions of phe- Because of the variety of research interests repre- nomena illustrating the categories, recognition and ex- sented in the sample, it is difficult to compare results ploitation of links between them, and eventually, across historians. Here, selected quotations may convey hypotheses and theories concerning the phenomena the flavor of the respondents' thinking. Historian 17, under study. for example, described his process of organizing materi- als in this way: I've tried to do it by subject and that's very difficult The Role of Memory because you start out with maybe a sort of very rough Historians claimed to rely much less on topical orga- hazy approach and you find out in a little while that nization of materials than they do on their own memo- all those subjects are irrelevant, SO you reorganize, ries for where a theme or particular passage can be that's the problem You get a lot of notes and you start losing things. What subject did I put that under? found. Although they differed widely in the degree to Where is that thing? When you're trying to develop a which they organize the physical artifacts of knowl- new idea, when you're trying to get a handle on it, con- edge, most historians in this sample were alike in claim- cretize it, systemize it, find out what it really is you're ing to have an excellent memory of the location and talking about: it's lawfully hard to put a label on it. It will meaning of various items of text. As respondent 11 usually be about a year later, when I'm lecturing, trying claimed: "I know where everything is." Historian 20 to explain it to students, that some label will pop up. emphasizes that "I know my notes. I read through them 664 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE-October 1991 every few months, read through the whole thing." Re- tant and frequently used things in view and close at spondent 8 declared that "I would have to say that I rely hand. This in turn inevitably results in messiness and a lot on my memory of a particular interview or of social if not cognitive discomfort. The presence of hu- particular documents I've read, and that I trust in my mor often indicates the taboo, the truth that cannot be ability to recall those. I wouldn't say that I have a pho- spoken: our jokes about untidy desks turn on a common tographic memory but I am able to have pretty accurate belief that a messy office implies a disorganized mind- recall of a lot of things." a metaphorical connection that this investigation sug- Some (12,18,19) admitted problems in finding cer- gests is untrue. tain documents: respondent 17 described his retrieval Through repeated strengthening of their mental as- efforts as consisting of "memory and hard work. I can sociations between documents and concepts, historians spend hours locating something I've got somewhere." are able to conduct successful searches in even the most When historian 8's memory failed it was usually when disorganized files. This even extended into visualiza- he would "recall a particular document having a cer- tion of the particular page or portion of a page, on tain content that it did not," rather than not being able which a passage appeared. Rothkopf (1971) has demon- to find the document. Respondent 12 complained that strated that readers may picture the position of text on he "loses notes all the time I haven't yet figured out a pages, relying upon visual and tactile cues to aid recall. filing system that is useful" but maintains that he has "a fine memory" something any good historian must have. "Often I remember what obscure file contains this little Use of Metaphor piece of evidence." Metaphorical references that compared ideas to This ability of historians to remember SO many de- physical entities were encountered in nearly every in- tails should come as no surprise. Since at least the time terview (italics are the author's) of Simonides, we have known that it is possible to memorize many names or facts based on visualization "questions and ideas that are swimming in my head" of them in physical structures. The Jesuit Matteo Ricci (ideas as fish) was able to recall thousands of items of information by "I cast my net very widely" (ideas as fish) imagining "memory palaces" with hundreds of rooms- "sitting down" and figuring it all out (ideas as puzzles) each equipped with unique furniture and images "cut and paste" thoughts together (ideas as pieces of paper) (Spence, 1984). "keeping track of things" (document storage as game The very first respondent in this study (1) warned hunting) that historians' offices would reflect "an untidy world." "trying to get a handle on" and idea (ideas as tools) The respondents were, in fact, frequently apologetic "to put a label on" an idea (ideas as jars) about their disorderly offices (11): "we borrow and steal from each other constantly" (ideas as valuables) this mess that you see here that could be relieved by another filing cabinet is essentially a file which includes "I toyed with" ideas on cards (ideas as playthings) everything from newspaper magazine clippings to "wrestle your way through the literature" (ideas as chal- manuscripts to transcripts of oral history to interviews lenging opponents) to article copies. "Asking questions of the material" (ideas as people) "they burrow into their topic" (scholars as moles) Dwyer and Dwyer (1987) point out that the effec- "my interests are bounded by time" (topics as terri- tiveness of retrieval cues in human memory is depen- tories) dent upon the elaborateness of the encoding process "I have in my mind a bibliography of bibliographies" during learning. That is: what the learner does during (topics as lists of relevant documents) learning is intimately related to the retrieval of the in- "a rough, hazy approach" (writing as flying/landing a formation absorbed. They also point out that the envi- plane) ronment in which learning takes place is vital to Most of these expressions correspond to Lakoff and subsequent retrieval: any changes in the environment Johnson's (1980, p. 47) categories of idea metaphors, lead to decreases in performance. One of the worst such as "ideas are organisms" or "ideas are products." things that could happen to a scholar would be for a The ones listed above were among the metaphors that stranger to "tidy up" their office. The act of arranging could be stated simply. Others require some explana- things in a "neater" fashion would destroy many impor- tion, as in one respondent's description of recent tant connections, patterns, and associations. changes in historical philosophy as first "remodeling Crowding does not necessarily hinder cognitive re- the house" (i.e., revising the traditional views of Ameri- though it may have an effect on physical re- can history) the "tearing down the house and building a trieval- since recall and recognition are different new one" (i.e., presenting a completely new view of cognitive processes. Since organizing materials is diffi- American history). The same historian also described cult, one relies upon recognition as much as possible. half-hearted attempts at revising history texts as "sprin- Part of what makes an intellectual workplace "effec- kling powdered sugar" on the traditional views to make tive" is its very crowdedness: the goal of having impor- them more palatable to the critics. Another respondent JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION CIENCE-October 1991 665 paraphrased neophyte historians' attitudes toward note- Winn, and Bramer (1979) for an example of the social taking, combining two metaphors to describe how his- scientist's vocabulary), the use and relative importance torians reach an important goal: "When you had two of terms varied widely among the historians inter- shoeboxes full of note-cards you should write your dis- viewed, except in the areas of time and geography. sertation." This particular case could be considered an Ways to extend the office metaphor for historians, example of synedoche, in which a part stands in for the therefore, could focus on chronological and geographic whole: a collection of ideas equals the dissertation. facets of the information, rather then standard- As it turned out, the card is powerful metaphor in ization of the vocabulary for topics. A potential direct- the work of historians. A card could represent single or manipulation device for both assigning categories and multiple instances of ideas, evidence, questions, quota- retrieving them would be a sliding scale of years, tions, or documents. All but three of the respondents matched with labels for periods. The labels could be used hand-written cards or half-sheets of paper-in- taken from those commonly in use by historians as well variably either 3 X 5, 4 X 6, or 5 X 8 inches-in keep- as those customized groupings devised by the individ- ing track of ideas and documents in their writing and ual scholar. A geographic approach could involve styl- teaching. The other three used only their computer to ized maps of North America, with individual states make notes and bibliographic entries. Even one scholar ("Virginia"), geographic regions ("New England"), his- who had given up making new hand-written cards, still torical regions ("the 13 colonies") defined for easy selec- maintained his original file by using his computer to tion. These implementations could use a mouse and print out his notes as 5 X 8 pieces of paper, merging visual interface for selection. them with his older cards. In at least four cases, the It may be too obvious to say that we need better number of cards maintained in this way were in the display devices than the CRT screens commonly in use. thousands. Historians are often trained to collect infor- The physical and psychological problems associated mation in card-like chunks. Guides to research meth- with these have received ample attention elsewhere ods (e.g., Furay & Salvevouris, 1988, Barzun & Graff, in the literature (see, for example, Bennett, Case, 1970) urge the historian-to-be to use a consistent med- Sandelin, and Smith (1984)). While other aspects of ium and style in capturing material-typically the card. computing have changed at a bewildering rate, it is re- The use of metaphor by this sample of scholars markable that we continue to use a display device that points out its usefulness in expressions of ideas at vari- was invented over 60 years ago and has seen little im- ous levels of abstraction. This evidence also confirms provement over the past two decades. It is truly a larger the relevance, to scholars, of the card metaphor that impediment to interface design than any software issue. has been SO popular in database and hypertext systems. Off the screen, we need better devices for promoting not just manipulation of screen contents but tactile as- Implications for Interface Design sociations with the material. Perhaps the types of sen- sory gloves used in some robotics applications (in which Using Analogy and Metaphor the movement of the fingers, hands, and arms is tracked in three dimensions) can be adapted for use in This study found the use of analogy and metaphor to document manipulation. Using the computer could be common among historians in their references to eventually become more like conducting a symphony both ideas and documents. It is suggested that the bene- than typing on a typewriter. Isn't it a grander, more fits of analogical approaches may outweigh their al- fitting image of tools for liberating the mind? leged problems (e.g., Grudin, 1989; Halasz & Moran, As much as is possible, the inadequacies of display 1981; Guastello & Traut, 1989) and could be applied to and manipulation devices should not be allowed to in- information systems in special domains, such as history. terfere with solutions to information retrieval problems. System metaphors may help users remember systems ac- While further tests of the effectiveness of metaphors tions by embedding functions parallel to those in their are in order, inconclusive results must not slow innova- working milieu. tion in interface design-particularly when the results If thoughts and ideas are embodied, then it makes of the experiment contradict other sources of knowl- sense to depict them visually and spatially on the user edge about human abilities, including common sense. interface. "Use" then becomes a movement through Physical analogies for procedures and information dis- knowledge spaces in search of a physical location for play can continue to be exploited, based on demon- storage. In this sense the film Tron (1982) may have had strated human tendencies in information handling. the right idea in depicting computer memory as having a world of its' own. Studying Users and Systems Visual Display and Manipulation Regarding methodology, the study of small groups of users in depth is very time-consuming for the degree of While the vocabulary common to American histori- insight it allows into human information handling, and ans could be a target for implementation (see Swift, is limited by the uncertainties of self-reports (Nisbett & 666 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE-October 1991 Wilson, 1977). Yet it is one of the few mechanisms cognitive processes are physically grounded in the real we have for finding out what goes on inside people's world. The present investigation supports that view in heads. The top-down approach of qualitative studies is regards to the storage and retrieval of text. complementary to bottom-up approach of statistical methods of term extraction that focus on document de- References scription. A focus on terms is predicated on an objec- tivist view of language: the assumption that words fit Barzun, J., & Graff, (1970). The modern researcher. (rev. ed.). reality and have fixed meanings based on strict corre- New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. spondence between concepts and objects. Most of our Bennett, J., Case, D., Sandelin, J., & Smith, M. (Eds.) (1984). Vi- sual display terminals: Usability issues and health concerns. 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Journal of Documentation, 46, 1-15. 668 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE-October 1991 Amalin Ferguson NPS Libraries Come of Age Building the NPS "Virtual Library" here are nearly 400 libraries in the and highly focused scopes of the NPS library col- T national park system, most of them lections may be considered their primary value. managed by park staff without The following selected highlights are intended to library training on a collateral duty give only a very partial view of the range and depth basis, There are currently no central funding of materials to be found in NPS libraries. sources for backlog cataloging or preservation C&O Canal National Historical Park. treatment and local budgets for library operations Associate Supreme Court Justice William O. are minimal. The number of book titles range Douglas oral history tapes and related news- from 150 to 60.000 (Morristown National paper clippings. Historical Park), with the average size being Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. 3,000 volumes. When non-book items are taken Valuable collection of books and other materi- Screen capture into account, the National Park Service (NPS) images used with als highlighting the life and career of the most permission of library holdings are estimated to total 5.7 million notable African American of the 19th century. Endeavor pieces; however, the majority of these are not cat- Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Information aloged, at least not in a standardized, electronic Military Park. Regiment lists and xeroxes of Systems, Inc. format. These historically persistent conditions correspondence and other historic documents severely impact discovery, retrieval, and sharing relating to the Civil War. of a significant component of the research and Harpers Ferry Center. An enormous photo educational materials constituting the NPS infor- collection covering many parks in the System mation base, not only within individual parks, but and specialized book collections in material across organizational lines. culture, NPS history, technical conservation, The NPS library collections contain a wide design, etc. variety of media and formats: books (including rare Independence National Historical Park. and out-of-print); reports and conference proceed- Notecard file of historical data relating to peo- ings (many unpublished); theses and dissertations; ple, events, and sites from the park's historic forman whole journals and journal article reprints; news- period. paper clippings and other ephemera (many from Lowell National Historical Park. Large col- the 19th and early-20th centuries); oral histories; lection of textile industry trade catalogs, tech- maps, charts, and plans; microfilm and audio nical manuals, and other reference works from visual materials; CDs and computer files; photo- the 19th and early-20th centuries. copied reproductions of historic manuscript materi- Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. als; note files; species lists, etc. The comprehensive Focused collection of books on 19th century and early-20th century art. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Over 2,000 subject files containing Congressional reports, newspaper clippings, Smart Web Vovage journal articles, obituaries, and staff research SOLID Decision notes on maritime history. Yellowstone National Park. Scrapbooks (1895-1940) containing periodical excerpts covering such topics as President Warren Harding's 1923 trip to Yellowstone and President Calvin Coolidge's trip in 1927. The National Park Service Union Catalog To promote and enhance discovery, retrieval, and sharing of NPS intellectual resources (at least, the metadata describing it), ? the NPS Library Program will merge NPS bibliographic records that are in electronic format to a centralized database 24 cem (21, #6 / 1998) which is fully compliant with professional library ters, including selected format subsets, e.g., and information standards and is deliverable via this only trade catalogs, and oral histories; the Web. Initially the NPS Union Catalog will be selected holdings in NPS museum collections, accessible via the NPS Intranet only, and will con- e.g., archival collections, archives finding aids, tain approximately 130,000 records from individ- rare books, and books from the personal ual and regional NPS library catalogs and subsets libraries of historical figures; of the NPS natural resources and cultural the holdings of the NPS Denver Service to resources bibliographies. To advance the auto- Center's Technical Information Center, con- staff? mated cataloging efforts in the field and further taining in-house plans, drawings, and plan- develop the NPS Union Catalog, the NPS ning documents; Information & Telecommunications Center (ITC) NPS servicewide, program area bibliographies, purchased 300 copies of ProCite bibliographic soft- e.g., Natural Resources Bibliography, Cultural ware for distribution to parks. ProCite users Resources Bibliography; Trails Bibliography, receive the program and software upgrades, along and others (built using ProCite); with user aids and technical support. "ThemeCats" merging the references to library Using an adjunct program called holdings in parks sharing similar Book WherePro, parks can build library catalogs themes/resources, e.g., African-American his- cheaply, efficiently, and professionally by obtaining tory, Native American history, Civil War, free records matching their holdings from library women's history, etc. catalogs on the Internet ("copy cataloging"). The books sold by the NPS book stores (i.e., coop- records may be downloaded into ProCite import erating associations); format. BookWherePro also enables downloading all NPS and NPS-related publications that are of subject and name authority records from Library available for distribution upon request, includ- of Congress databases for "original cataloging" pur- ing those sold through partners and friends' poses (when cataloging copy cannot be obtained). groups (e.g., curriculum packets and unigrid Golden Spike National Historical Park recently park brochures). cataloged 960 of their library of 1,000 titles in 50 Endeavor's Voyager OPAC staff hours using this model. Eventually, the NPS The software that will be used to manage and Union Catalog will be accessible to all Internet search the NPS Union Catalog is Voyager, by users and may include references or links to the Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. Primary following NPS information base components: access to the OPAC (online public access catalog) all of the library holdings in NPS parks, sup- will be through the Web. Scoped to research and port offices, central offices, and service cen- special libraries, Voyager is a state-of-the-art library software program developed by seasoned library and information industry professionals. The C IW Every N 502 2009 20 United Water - software design exploits to full advantage cur- rently available technologies and standards, is: including Web capabilities, the Z39.50 (v.3) infor- September beight Representation - mation storage and retrieval protocol, multi-tiered Kaysard - client/server architecture, distributed networking, in it 1.33 address Excext xexi platform-independent design, and open database connectivity. Some of its features are listed here: default (customizeable) buttons on Voyager's Please expressions >