Have you passed some time lately immersed in a juicy, detail rich book set in the 18th century? Watched a heart pounding World War II battle movie? Traced your family genealogy? Settled in with an informative documentary about the Spanish Flu Pandemic or the early Civil Rights movements?
All of those things and more are made possible by the quiet work of individual archival researchers who seek out original source documentation, helping to bring history to life.
Independent Archival Researchers are also responsible for:
Assisting living military veterans to document service to obtain benefits
Helping families discover the wartime contributions of their veterans
Providing documentation to veteran organizations seeking to honor service members
Exploring original and forgotten sources to corroborate and add to existing research on historical figures and events
Locating crucial documents for criminal and civil litigation
Like the rest of the world, those who conduct vital research in state and national archives have been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Public research rooms at our National Archives remain shuttered. Professional researchers are at a standstill, unable to access original archival material. Those who depend on the work of researchers are also stalled. Most researchers and many of their clients are small businesses, and all continue to suffer devastating financial hardship as the archive closures continue.
True to our national tradition of rising to meet challenges, individual researchers working in NARA-Washington D.C., College Park, and NPRC-Saint Louis, MO have joined together to establish the Archival Researchers Association. The ARA is a not for profit 501c3 created by professional researchers to represent the vital research needs of the public at large. As professionals working daily on site at NARA archive facilities we are uniquely situated to successfully advocate for the research needs of the public to be adequately met in those facilities.
We have watched closely as archives around the world have cautiously reopened. ARA members are fully committed to participating in a safe reopening of NARA public research rooms, consistent with CDC guidance to minimize the danger to staff and researchers. We expect that temporary access restrictions will be necessary to navigate such a safe reopening. In Britain, for example, public access is currently limited to four hours per day, cutting normal research time by half.
We must also acknowledge that these temporary measures will not allow researchers sufficient time to make meaningful progress through the enormous backlog of research which has been on hold since March of this year. ARA fears such “temporary” limitations to restrict access to documents, microfilm, photographs, maps and other records will remain in place after COVID has subsided. A major component of reopening must also include reminding Congress and NARA executives that maintaining or exceeding prior levels of research services and access to archival records will help small businesses nationwide to recover and will also assist in our nations’ economic recovery.
Our ultimate goal is to initiate positive, lasting changes to access and services that benefit researchers and archives staff alike by working to:
Directly lobby Congress and the archives for reasonable and timely access to archived Federal records
Support line-item budgeting for research rooms, staff and equipment
Ensure taxpayer dollars maintain current staffing levels in public research rooms
Ensure taxpayer dollars are directed toward the purchase of efficient equipment that will speed the research process and enhance accuracy and preservation.
All ARA funding will be directed toward these goals, including enlisting the assistance of professional advisors experienced in communicating through Congressional channels, the collection of material that supports our positions regarding NARA budgeting and access issues, and the expenses associated with publicizing the work of the organization. The ARA board is composed of unpaid committed volunteers and will remain so.
At this moment, our collective history is inaccessible. This won’t last forever, but we must ensure that any changes restricting access to historical records do not linger longer than necessary. The researchers of the ARA are asking for your help and financial support as we advocate for improved access and a better future for our history.
Please support our mission by becoming a member or making a donation here:
