How to Search in ARC
The Archival Research Catalog (ARC) allows users to search descriptions of the National Archives' holdings. Basic and advanced search screens give you the option of searching broadly or precisely. Keep in mind that only a percentage of the National Archives' holdings currently have descriptions in ARC. This percentage will continue to grow.
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ARC Main Page Options
To begin searching in ARC, go to the ARC main page. The main page has several options for exploring the catalog and learning more about ARC.
- Click on the yellow search button or the ARC logo to enter the catalog and go directly to the ARC Basic Search Screen.
- Or enter keywords in the search box on the main page. Click the search button next to the box or press the Enter key on your keyboard to run the search.
- If your search term was found in the ARC database, the search results will indicate the number of hits retrieved (up to 2,000 hits) and then the results will be listed 10 per page. Please note that
"hits retrieved" refers only to entries in the ARC database and does not include all the archival holdings of the National Archives.
- If records are found, remember that ARC only includes information about a small portion of the materials available at the National Archives. You still may want to try different wording and search again. Click the Refine Search button on the Search Results page to go to the ARC Basic Search Screen. Read Basic Search Steps for guidance on how to refine your search.
- If your search term was found in the ARC database, the search results will indicate the number of hits retrieved (up to 2,000 hits) and then the results will be listed 10 per page. Please note that
"hits retrieved" refers only to entries in the ARC database and does not include all the archival holdings of the National Archives.
- "How to Search" links to this page. There is information about how to use the ARC main page, conduct a basic search, and perform more advanced searches.
- Click on "Search Options" to go to the ARC Basic Search Screen or the ARC Advanced Search Screen.
- "ARC Progress" shows what percentage of National Archives records are described in ARC at the series level. Click on "More about ARC" to go to the "About ARC" page with:
- a chart showing the different kinds of ARC descriptions (and their hierarchy or relationships)
- more statistics about how much is in ARC
- background on the standards and sources for ARC descriptions
- links to information about policies and procedures
- Click on "Selected Topics" to browse selected descriptions in ARC by topic in the "ARC Galleries."
- Click on "What's New" to read more about archival descriptions, digital copies, and ARC search features recently added to the catalog. We also feature new ARC web pages.
- Click on "Family Historians" to view the "ARC Guide for Genealogists and Family Historians" with tips for searching in ARC for records of genealogical interest.
- Click on "Teachers & Students" to view the "ARC Guide for Educators and Students" and access ARC web pages designed for teachers and students.
Basic Search Steps
At the ARC Basic Search Screen:
- Enter any keyword(s) in the box.
This is the most comprehensive search, because the keyword search searches on every field in the archival descriptions. Please note that you can search more than one topic at the same time by using Boolean operators such as AND, OR, and NOT between the search terms. - Select the limit of hits.
You may limit your search anywhere from 100 hits or up to 2000 hits. - Select any other filters.
You may filter your search by selecting any of the filter options.
If you are specifically interested in locating images of documents related to your topic, the results will indicate if a digital copy is available. If you select the box Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies box, then thumbnail images and their item level descriptions will result. If you choose not to select the Descriptions of Archival materials linked to digital copies box, results will appear with a link to any available digital copies.
If you wish to search for materials by location, select that location in the location scroll box.
If you wish to search for materials by type, select that type in type scroll box.
You may also wish to search by adding dates in the date filter box. Because all the records have dates, and many date ranges are very broad, you should always use other filters with a date filter.
For more information on these tools, click on the ARC help link located on the ARC main page. - Press the "Go" button.
If your search term was found in the ARC database, the search results will indicate the number of hits retrieved and then the results will be listed 10 per page. Please note that "hits retrieved" refers only to entries in the ARC database and does not include all the archival holdings of the National Archives.
If records are found, remember that ARC only includes information about a small portion of the materials available at the National Archives. You still may want to try different wording and search again.
If you are unable to locate descriptions in ARC, it may be a result of the limited number of descriptions in the catalog. Please contact the reference room at inquire@nara.gov for further assistance or call 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272.
- If you find reference to National Archives material that seems interesting, click on the title link. A more detailed description of the material will appear with information about the records' location and whom to contact about them. Please note that, in some cases, the described material will be a specific item (a motion picture film, for example). In other cases, the described material may consist of a large series of records.
Tips for New ARC Users
How do you search in the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)? ARC Tips will help you get started. We include pictures of the ARC search screens and explain the search tools. You may also wish to refer to Basic Search Steps.
- ARC Tips (Web page version)
- Easy printing versions:
- Downloadable ARC Tips (PDF)
- ARC Tips (Word document) Page 1, Page 2
Tips for Former NAIL Users
ARC replaces NARA's Archival Information Locator (NAIL). The tips show you how to change your NAIL search strategies to fit ARC search tools.
Additional Search Help
Bookmarking: ARC Search Links encoded to retrieve descriptions by keyword or ARC ID number can be bookmarked. Tips for ARC Search Links explain how to use ARC Search Links, refine the results for digital copies, and bookmark an ARC Search Link. Instructions for Creating ARC Search Links provide information about how to embed your own keywords in an ARC Search Link and bookmark it. During an active ARC search session, however, neither the search pages (Basic or Advanced) nor your search results can be bookmarked.
Advanced Search Tips for ARC provide instructions for using the Advanced Search Screen and detailed explanations of ARC's search functions.
PDF files require the free Adobe Reader.
More information on Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our Accessibility page.
