Citizen Archivist Missions
Ready to start tagging and transcribing? We've curated these topical missions to help you jump in and contribute! Click on a topic that interests you, and it will bring you right to those historical records in our Catalog. Tagging and transcribing makes these records more accessible to everyone. New missions are added and updated regularly, so check back often to see what’s new.
New to our Citizen Archivist program? Learn how to register and get started.
Looking for a previous mission? Visit Mission History
Questions? Email us at citizenarchivist@nara.gov
Outside the Box Missions
Up for a challenge or something different? We often have records that require special work in order to make them more accessible.
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Chinese Heritage

Help us transcribe and tag records related to the Chinese Exclusion Era. We need your help transcribing these immigration records and tagging very specific details that will help provide greater access to these records. Please read the instructions on the mission page carefully and begin contributing.
Native American Photographs Tagging Mission

MISSION COMPLETED! Thanks to the contributions of Citizen Archivists, more than 18,000 photographs from the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) have been tagged with topical subject tags. These contributions helped to create the Bureau of Indian Affairs Photographs Finding Aid where the records can be viewed by Tribal Nation, Topic, or State.
Explore the Bureau of Indian Affairs Photographs Finding Aid
Transcriber Task Force
Seeking expert transcribers! We’ve gathered records that have tricky elements for our expert transcribers. You may find only a few pages that are difficult or the whole record. If you’d like to join our Transcriber Task Force and get emails for special projects, send us an email citizenarchivist@nara.gov
1950 Census Transcription Projects

The 1950 Census is here! We're looking for help transcribing the initial name index for the 1950 Census. While you can transcribe any name or any page within the 1950 Census, we've identified several specific areas where we'd like your help transcribing.
Featured Records
Jump in and help us transcribe these individual records. Documenting events throughout United States history, transcribers of all skill levels are sure to find something new and interesting in these featured records!
Beginner
- Records of the Office of the Secretary of War; Hastie-Gibson Subject Files; Brown, Willa B., Coffey School of Aeronautics Transcribe this record.
- Records of U.S. Occupation Headquarters, World War II; Correspondence Relating to Claims and Queries; M-92 Hedwig Loder (Née Lamarr) Transcribe this record.
- General Records of the Department of State, Central Decimal Files, Records of the Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs of the Ukraine: 860E.00/131 THRU 860E.01/238: 1940-1944 Transcribe this record.
- Central National Bank Savings and Trust Company, as Trustee; The Thompson Transit Corporation; H. C. Hutchinson, Receiver vs Automobile Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, Court Documents Transcribe this record.
- Correspondence Relating to Reindeer Herds in Alaska, 156.7 Kuskokwim U. Mgr., Corr. [1941-42] Transcribe this record.
- Lady Bird Johnson's Daily Diary Entry, 4/13/1968 Transcribe this record.
- Records of Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (World War II), Administrative History Files, 237: Ordnance - Statistics Transcribe this record.
- Case Files for Registered Product Labels, 8605 - Rocky Mountain Sage Bitters - M. Rosenfield & Co. Transcribe this record.
Intermediate
- Patent Case File No. 2,292,387, Secret Communication System, Inventors Hedy Kiesler Markey and George Antheil Transcribe this record.
- United States of America vs. James W. Lewis, also known as Robert Richardson, Filings, Orders, and Opinions Transcribe this record.
- Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1793 - 1999, Agricultural, Hunting, and Fishing Statistics, 1935 - 1972, 917 Agricultural Statistics & Production Wainwright [1957-71] Transcribe this record.
- Official Military Personnel File for Ernest L. Wrentmore Transcribe this record.
- Despatches from U.S. Ministers to Japan, 1855-1906, Aug. 3, 1880 - Jan. 22, 1881 Transcribe this record.
- Despatches from U.S. Consuls in Athens, Greece, 1837-1906, Despatches: July 1, 1890 - November 28, 1898 Transcribe this record.
- Despatches from U.S. Consuls in Osaka and Hiogo (Kobe), Japan, 1868-1906, Despatches: Volumes 11 - 12: May 6, 1901 - May 20, 1905; September 27, 1905 / Despatches: Liege: Volume 6 (part): June 6, 1905 - July 26, 1906 Transcribe this record.
- Records of the National Park Service, 1785 - 2006, Central Subject Files, 1919 - 1981, C34 Santa Fe Railway Transcribe this record.
- M179 - Miscellaneous Letters of the Department of State, 1789-1906, January 3, 1806 - December 31, 1807 Transcribe this record.
- Despatches from U.S. Ministers to the Italian States, 1832-1906, Italy: Apr. 15-Dec, 27, 1899 Transcribe this record.
Advanced
- General Records of the Department of State, 1763 - 2002, Despatches from U.S. Consuls in Liverpool, England, 1790-1906, Despatches: July 1 - December 23, 1863 Transcribe this record.
- Records of the Department of State, Reports of the Deaths of American Citizens Transcribe this record.
- 1910-1920: Incoming Miscellaneous Executive Bureaus: Fuel Administration, 03/09/1918 To Railroad Administration, 11/15/1919 Transcribe this record.
- Bankruptcy Act of 1898 Dockets, 1898 - 1979, Reading Company, 1971 Transcribe this record.
- Logbooks of Ships and Shore Installations, 1948-1972, USCGC Eastwind (WAG-279/WAGB-279), January 1956 - December 1956 Transcribe this record.
- Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1793 - 1999, District Files: Northern: 1908 - 1911 Transcribe this record.
- Criminal Case Files, 1790 - 1912, The United States vs. Thomas Collyer and others Transcribe this record.
- General Index to Appointments, 7/1932 - 6/1935, General Index Book 1 Transcribe this record.
- Despatches from U.S. Consuls in Athens, Greece, 1837-1906, Despatches: January 16, 1898 - June 30, 1904 Transcribe this record.
Questions? Email us at citizenarchivist@nara.gov