Know Your Records Program
Free events to keep you in the know, held in Washington, DC and College Park, Maryland.
Please Note: There will be no Book Group meetings, lectures, or genealogy workshops in the months of July, August, and December.
Lectures and Films
Lectures are held at the National Archives Building, Washington, DC, in Room G-24 (Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue side of the building). Events are free unless otherwise noted.
May 2008
Thursday, May 1, at 11 a.m.
Lecture Room B, National Archives at College Park, MD
Nineteenth Century Non Population Census Schedules
Archives specialists Rebecca Sharp and Katherine Vollen will discuss how to use these often overlooked Federal records
to enhance your genealogical and historical research.
Tuesday, May 20, at 11 a.m.
Room G-24, Research Center (Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue)
The National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel
Paula Larich, an archivist in the Center for Electronic Records
at the National Archives, will discuss records of the National Register of
Scientific and Technical Personnel. This agency provided the Federal Government
with information regarding the name, location, and technical expertise of scientists
and engineers during the early Cold War. (This lecture will be repeated at
the National Archives at College Park, MD, in Lecture Room B, on Thursday,
May 22, at 11 a.m.)
June 2008
Tuesday, June 3, at 11 a.m.
Room G-24, Research Center (Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue)
Revolutionary War Records at Footnote.com
Beau Sharbrough, vice president of content for Footnote.com, will
discuss Revolutionary War records available at Footnote.com. (This
lecture will be repeated at the National Archives at College Park, MD,
in Lecture Room B, on Thursday, June 5, at 11 a.m.)
For location details see our Visitor's Map.
Genealogy Workshops
May 2008
Saturday, May 17, 10:15 a.m.–1:45 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater (Use the Special Events entrance)
An Introduction to Genealogy: An African American Perspective
Deborah Daniels, American Legacy magazine, and Reginald
Washington, staff archivist, will present a workshop on basic
genealogical research and techniques. They will discuss the use of oral
history, pedigree charts, family group sheets, and other resources including
Federal, state, and local records available for African American family
research. Reservations are required, and a fee of $20 is payable by cash
or check at the door. Call 202-357-5333.
For location details see our Visitor's Map.
All Genealogy Workshops Nationwide
From the Records Book Group
In 2008, the From the Records Book Group will meet the third Tuesday of February, March, April, September, October, and November. We will meet at 11:00 AM, in Room G-24 of the National Archives building in Washington, DC, for a discussion or film relating to the book and then, at noon, to discuss the book. Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue. The books may be purchased anywhere; the Archives Shop offers a discount to those who are participating in the book group.
March 18, 2008
These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory, by Thomas
A. Desjardin, Robert Pigeon (Editor)
Ever since the battle of Gettysburg ended and Lincoln delivered his famous
two-minute speech remembering those who had given their lives, this three-day
conflict in 1863 has become an American legend. We remember Gettysburg as,
perhaps, the biggest, bloodiest, and most important battle ever fought in the
Civil War. How much truth is behind the legend? Desjardin, a prominent
Civil War historian and a perceptive cultural observer, demonstrates how flawed
our knowledge of this enormous event has become, and why. He examines how Americans,
have shaped and altered our national memory, fashioning the story of Gettysburg
as a reflection of, and testimony to, our culture and our nation.
April 15, 2008
All You Need is Love: the Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s, by Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman.
Everyone has heard of the Peace Corps, and that's no accident. When the agency
was started in the early days of the Kennedy Administration, one of the top
priorities was making it known virtually overnight, and some of the most talented
advertising professionals in America donated their expertise to publicizing
it. With John F. Kennedy's brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, as director, the
Peace Corps represented the high ideals of a crucial decade in American history.
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, a professor of American foreign relations at San Diego
State University, details the first decade of the Peace Corps, focusing on
the struggles to create the agency, the political skill that made it flourish,
and the influence of the Vietnam War. Please check the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) for book availability and a special discount for participants.
September 16, 2008
Revolution Remembered: Eyewitness Accounts of the War for Independence, by John C. Dann (Editor)
A fascinating selection of information based on the testimony of embattled
farmers who tell us in their own words what they saw with their own eyes. The
Revolution Remembered uses 79 first-hand accounts from veterans of the
war to provide the reader with the feel of what it must have been like to fight
and live through America's bloody battle for independence. The military
pension records at the National Archives provide an important source for this
book.
October 21, 2008
Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence from Nazi Germany to Iran and North Korea, by Jeffrey T. Richelson
Richelson traces the evolution of U.S. nuclear intelligence efforts--both
successes and failures--from the early days of World War II to the twenty-first
century. The author focuses on the early nuclear programs of 15 nations and
the U.S. effort to determine if they were trying to acquire nuclear weapons,
how far they had gotten, and their attempts to improve those capabilities.
Thus, the book examines the work of the CIA and other intelligence agencies
in identifying and providing the details about those nuclear programs as well
as the agencies' efforts to monitor and evaluate nuclear testing--rather than
their efforts to gather information on the nuclear arsenals. Each of the 14
chapters focuses on the nuclear activities of one or a small number of nations. Richelson
draws on recently declassified documents and interviews with scientists and
spies involved in nuclear espionage. His analysis of our nation's nuclear espionage
includes spy-satellite photographs from the National Archives.
November 18, 2008
Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art, by Hector Feliciano
During the occupation of Paris, the Nazis confiscated nearly 100,000 artworks
from more than 200 collectors, transporting most of the spoils to Germany. The
most extensive and valuable collections belonged to five renowned Jewish families:
Rosenberg, Rothschild, Schloss, David-Weill and Bernheim-Jeune. After
the war, many works that were found were returned to their owners. But a large
number had disappeared, been destroyed, or spirited out of Europe into the
underground art market.
Drawing on recently declassified government archives and information provided by the heirs of the collections, Feliciano traces the fate of the artworks. Two thousand of these stolen artworks have been identified in the Louvre and other French national museums, fomenting a scandal that has received front-page coverage throughout Europe and spurred a series of new claims and suits by heirs. In this updated and enlarged American edition, he reveals the location of stolen works hanging in major U.S. museums as well.
For location details see our Visitor's Map.
Lectures
Tuesdays: Room G-24, Research Center
National Archives Building
Washington, DC
Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue
Thursdays: Lecture Room B
National Archives at College Park, Maryland
Book Group
Third Tuesday of February, March, April, September, October, and November
Room G-24, Research Center, National Archives Building
Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue
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