National Historical Publications Research Articles

National Historical Publications and Records Commission Microform Guidelines

National Historical Publications and Records Commission Microform Guidelines

It Only Happens Once Every Hundred Years: Making the Most of the Centennial Opportunity

Clemson University celebrated its centennial in 1988-89, an event that served as the catalyst for transforming the university's archives. The author discusses how the Special Collections department capitalized on centennial-related reference requests, publications and oral history projects, exhibits, and time capsule activities to reach new audiences and win support for program expansion. Important elements in the successful strengthening of this program were the support of key university administrators, start-up funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the identification of viable, high-visibility projects for its various constituencies.

Oliver Ellsworth, Third Chief Justice

Oliver Ellsworth, Third Chief Justice James M. Buchanan Each year the editors of the Journal of Supreme Court History select for the cover an individual who has played an important part in the history of the Supreme Court. This year we have chosen Oliver Ellsworth, who served as the third Chief Justice of the United States from 1796 to 1800. To most Americans, Ellsworth is associated more with his service in the Constitutional Convention than on the Supreme Court. The story of Ellsworth’s role in creating the Great Compromise that permitted the delegates to go forward to complete the Constitution and, in turn, our government, is taught in high school social studies classes nationwide. His service as Chief Justice, on the other hand, is less well known. The explanation for this in part lay in the short time he actively served on the Bench—a little over three and a halfyears. His judicial obscurity can also be at­ tributed to his service on a Court which histori­ ans tend to describe as merely an overture to the John Marshall period. For the past fifteen years a team of editors and researchers have worked to illuminate the formative years of the Supreme Court. Sup­ ported by grants from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and private foundations, and organized under the auspices ofthe Supreme Court Historical Soci­ ety, they have amassed a unique collection of over 20,000 documents pertaining to the early years of our highest federal court. To date, their efforts have produced four books in three volumes. More are in the pro­ duction process. When complete, The Docu­ mentary History of the Supreme Court of the UnitedStates, 1789-1800will comprisethemost completerecord assembled of any period in the Court’s two-hundred year history. Published documentswill have been drawn from over 800 repositories in this country and in Europe; annotations andheadnoteswill guidethereader through Court minute books, cases, and other pertinent manuscripts. The most recently published volume com­ prises the last installment of a two-volume series that focuses on the Justices as they rode circuit.1 These two volumes, combined with the two-book record of the Court’s minutes and official and private correspondence pertaining to appointments, give us a unique window from which we can view the professional lives of the early Justices. The fourth volume, especially, is important to those interested in Ellsworth’s judicial ca­ reer. The Chief Justice’s correspondence and writings, including grand jury charges he wrote while on circuit, compiled here for the first Alter graduating from Princeton in 1766, Ellsworth stud­ ied for the ministry at the urging of his father. He soon changed his mind and switched his attention to the law. Ellsworthwas admitted to the bar in 1777 after fouryears of training. OLIVER ELLSWORTH 21 time,will add to whatwe alreadyknow from his biographers.2 This record, combined with the documents contained in the two-part, volume one, helps ourunderstanding ofEllsworth’s life and work during his brief three-year tenure as ChiefJustice. The Court that Ellsworth inherited in 1796 hadbeeninbusinessashort fiveyearsandinthe course ofits half-decade ofexistence docketed a little over 25 cases. The Court had moved its home threetimes: fromNewYork’s Merchants Exchange to Philadelphia’s Statehouse, and then its City Hall. Before the first decade was out it would move once again-this time to the new capitol on the Potomac. It would, however, havetowaituntilthe 1930sbeforefindingaper­ manent home. Ellsworth, the nation’s third ChiefJustice in less than seven years, replaced John Rutledge ofSouth Carolina, an interim appointment. An impolitic speech denouncing the controversial Jay Treaty had caused Senate Federalists—among them Ellsworth-to denyhis appointment. Dis­ traught, Rutledge attempted suicide a few weeks later. Rutledge had been nominated to replace John Jay, the Court’s first Chief Justice, who had resigned after a little over sixyears’ service. In another fiveyears time, Ellsworth and all but one of the original six Justices appointed by Washington would be gone as well. The high turnover of Court personnel—at least by late twentieth century standards--can be explained in part by the nature of political life in late 18th century America. The Senate and the House suffered as...

Directory of archives and manuscript repositories in the United States: by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission

Directory of archives and manuscript repositories in the United States: by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission

Development of Managerial Training for Archivists

Archivists have come to recognize the need for management training; but the profession has yet to reach a consensus regarding the most appropriate content, circumstances, or source of such training. This article examines the ways in which management is taught in the fields of business and library science. It evaluates how management skills have been transmitted within the archival profession and outlines ways in which such training might be promoted in the future. The role of the Society of American Archivists in terms of education guidelines and continuing education programs is discussed, as is the fellowship program sponsored by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

The NHPRC/Mellon Foundation Fellowship in Archives Administration: Structured Training on the Job

Since 1985 the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, supported in part by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has sponsored a fellowship program in archival administration designed to provide professional archivists an opportunity to develop practical administrative skills through appointments at selected archival repositories. This article traces the history of the fellowship program and analyzes its value for fellows, host institutions, and the profession as a whole. Judith Endelman outlines the basic structure of the fellowship and chronicles its evolution. She identifies several factors crucial to the success of a fellowship experience and discusses ways in which the program might be strengthened. Joel Wurl presents the results of a survey of the fellows and host institution project directors from the first two years. Overall, participants reported satisfaction with their experiences, but noted some structural weaknesses, including the desire, expressed by project directors, for a larger pool of fellowship applicants. Participants concluded almost unanimously that the program should continue and be supported more actively by the profession.

A Positive Approach to Negatives: Preserving Photographs via Microfilm Technology

Special Collections and Archives at George Mason University (GMU) is one of many American archives responsible for a large collection of photographic negatives facing deterioration. At particular risk recently at GMU's Fenwick Library was the Library of Congress Federal Theatre Project (FTP) Collection. What follows is a discussion of GMU's experience in preserving the extensive volume of negatives in this collection and contracting with a firm that operates a LogEtronic camera, a photo-reduction mechanism capable of producing microfilm directly from photographic negatives. The Library of Congress FTP Collection has been on permanent loan from the Library of Congress (LC) since 1974. The Federal Theatre Project, one of the four Works Progress Administration (WPA) emergency relief programs during the Great Depression, provided work for unemployed theatre people. The collection consists mainly of the records of 3,129 theatrical productions and includes playscripts, set and costume designs, photographs, posters, production bulletins, playbills, research material, technical drawings, music, and some administrative material. The photographs represent a visual record of the casts, sets, costumes, personnel, and theaters of the FTP productions. The 9,000 negatives, predominantly on safety film and ranging in size from four by five inches to five by seven inches, with a handful of 35mm, were deteriorating alarmingly as they reached their fiftieth year in 1985. Neither GMU's library nor LC could undertake financially the task of duplicating the materials. Further, LC, as a federal agency, could not seek grant money from another federal agency such as the National Endowment for the Humanities or the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), seemingly the most promising sources for assistance. Therefore, GMU's Special Collections and Archives, with the support of LC, began the search for grant funding for a microfilm project. During a telephone inquiry to NHPRC, a grants analyst suggested that the microfilming be accomplished using a LogEtronic camera. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) was already experiencing success in the use of a LogEtronic camera that conformed to its preservation standards. The camera, operational there since about 1978, was used for various purposes: to duplicate photographs that would be prohibitively expensive to reproduce through traditional means, to provide copies for researchers in order to avoid excessive handling of originals, to salvage images in deteriorating negatives, and to copy parts of large aerial imagery. Next, a representative from a company in nearby Maryland made a site visit, with examples of deteriorating negatives (before) and microfiche copies (after), demonstrating visually what the LogEtronic camera was capable of doing—not only copying the negative, but indeed enhancing it in the duplicate microfiche. It was especially evident that the image of even the deteriorated negatives could be enhanced and preserved by this method. Unfortunately, during the time it took to write the grant proposal the company went out of business. We were told about another company, then called Eikon Radiographics, now

Automation and Documentary Editing

In 1979, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission began a programme of encouraging the use of automated techniques by its documentary editing projects with a series of small grants for lease/purchase of equipment. In addition to such projects as the Documentary History of the First Federal Congress, the Samuel Gompers Papers, the Papers of Henry Laurens and the Papers of Marcus Garvey, which received funding from these early grants, other Commission-sponsored projects, such as the Papers of General George C. Marshall, initiated automation activities with institutional support or grant funds from other agencies, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Funding Resources and Priorities for Cooperation

Archives and libraries have emphasized their differences rather than commonalities, and have so specialized within their own developmental traditions that cooperation has been an illusive ideal. Archivists are now moving toward a national or more accurately nationwide system of information exchange after a decade of false starts and consensus building. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission has been a major stimulus for cooperative development. By 1985 the key elements for a national system were identified and now questions of actual development and leadership are being discussed. Funding is always critical for such developments, but planning must face continued austerity and yet proceed.

The NHPRC: Its Influence on Documentary Editing, 1964-1984

In addition to providing financial support for the publication of modern documentary editions in the field of American history, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission has been a leader in the training of documentary editors and in the development and application of new technology in the field. The commission established documentary projects for several American presidents and other governmental leaders and also initiated and supported projects to document the history of blacks, native Americans, and women. The commission has successfully secured funds from private foundations to augment its own funding for editorial projects. Through its work, the NHPRC provides a central organization for the publication of documents in American history.

Documenting America: Assessing the Condition of Historical Records in the States: Consultant Reports Presented at the Conference of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission Assessment and Reporting Grantees, Atlanta, GA, June 24-25, 1983. Lisa B. Weber

<i>Documenting America: Assessing the Condition of Historical Records in the States: Consultant Reports Presented at the Conference of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission Assessment and Reporting Grantees, Atlanta, GA, June 24-25, 1983</i>. Lisa B. Weber

Archives and Society: The First Archival Revolution

President, Society of American Archivists 1983-84 David B. Gracy II has been state archivist of Texas since 1977. He is also senior lecturer on archives and manuscripts in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Texas at Austin. From 1971-1977 he was the archivist for the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University, and prior to that he served as archivist of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University. Gracy received his Ph.D. in history from Texas Tech in 1971. He served on SAA's Council from 1976-1980 and on the Executive Committee from 1979-1980. He was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1979. Gracy has been active on numerous SAA committees and served as a member of the Editorial Board of the American Archivist from 1976-1979. He has been active in regional archival organizations as well, serving as president of both the Austin Archivists and the Society of Georgia Archivists. Gracy is the author of Archives & Manuscripts: Arrangement and Description and An Introduction to Archives and Manuscripts. He is a member of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and is the United States' representative to the Archives Committee of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History.

Micropublishing: A History of Scholarly Micropublishing in America, 1938-1980

Journal Article Micropublishing: A History of Scholarly Micropublishing in America, 1938–1980. By Alan Marshall Meckler. (Westport: Greenwood, 1982. xiv + 179 pp. Tables, notes, bibliography, and index. $23.95.) Get access Nancy Sahli Nancy Sahli National Historical Publications and Records Commission Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 70, Issue 2, September 1983, Pages 474–475, https://doi.org/10.2307/1900305 Published: 01 September 1983

On the Illinois Frontier: Dr. Hiram Rutherford, 1840-1848 (review)

186CIVIL WAR HISTORY author's unwieldy sentence structure reads: "He called on the people to turn out, and his call found a ready audience when on the following day a number of representatives from surrounding settlements showed up in response to an earlier call from the Political Chief [the capitals are McDonald's] at Brazos which had been based on the unofficial reports of the Governor's [sic] arrest." The book contains a few minor errors in fact. Travis did not make the last appeal on March 3. He sent sixteen-year-old Jim Allen with the final plea for aid to Fannin, at Goliad, on March 5. McDonald accepts the old fallacy that Travis took the cat's-eye ring from his finger and fashioned a necklace for the infant Angelina Dickinson. The diminutive ring, Rebecca's betrothal gift to Travis, was one she impulsively removed from her own hand. Undoubtedly, Travis wore the memento suspended from a string inside his shirt. I examined the ring minutely when I had professional photographers photograph it, along with other Alamo memorabilia. Strapping, six-foot Travis could not have gotten the ring on his little finger. In conformity with the text, a truncated index concludes the work. The index—a mere listing of names of persons and places—offers no breakdown of the material into its component areas such as students would find helpful. McDonald has been credited with some good work. His Travis is a conspicuous exception. Martha Anne Turner Sam Houston State University On the Illinois Frontier: Dr. Hiram Rutherford, 1840-1848. Edited by Willene Hendrick and George Hendrick. (Carbondale, 111.: Southern Illinois University Press, 1981. Pp. xxv, 115. $19.95.) After an uneventful journey from Pennsylvania in 1840, young Dr. Hiram Rutherford arrived in eastern Illinois. He soon began to correspond with John Bowman ofElizabethtown, Pennsylvania, intending to maintain contact with Bowman's sister, Lucinda, whom he later married. The correspondence between Dr. Rutherford and Bowman and between Dr. and Mrs. Rutherford and her mother forms one portion of this slim volume, the best portion. The letters are not profound, but they do provide useful glimpses of frontier life: prices and wages, the variety of occupations, the scarcity of servants, and the importance of hogs are some of the economic conditions cited; climate, rich soil and "our immense plains blooming with the richest verdue" (p. 45), buffalo and other wildlife receive attention, as does an awesome prairie fire; references to social conditions and localpolitics abound; loneliness, sickness , death, and other hardships are evident; the frontier's role in improving women's status is noted (p. 35), as is the practice of birth con- book reviews187 trol—"We have concluded to pospone [sic] [another child] for a yearor so yet" (p. 46). Prevalent diseases and their treatments are discussed, and finally, the letters reveal much about Dr. Rutherford, including his surging ego—"Here I walk a lord of the soil. The Doctor is the greatest man in the country" (p. 15)—and his fondness of money. The second portion of the work, of dubious value, consists of Dr. Rutherford's recollections of early Oakland, Illinois. The third portion consists of accounts of the roles played by Dr. Rutherford, Abraham Lincoln, and others in the Matson trial. Unlike many edited works, this one has an index. A good introduction adds additional strength, as do several illustrations. The bibliography is meager, however, and the absence of a map is bothersome. The footnote on Arminianism (p. 105) is nearly useless, and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 is curiously labeled (p. 135). In sum, the work is limited and has flaws, but it is interesting and of value. James E. Davis Illinois College The Papers of AndrewJohnson: Volume4, 1860-1861. Edited by LeRoy P. Graf and Ralph W. Haskins. (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1976. Pp. L, 745. $20.00.) The Papers of AndrewJohnson: Volume5, 1861-1862. Edited by LeRoy P. Graf and Ralph W. Haskins. (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1978. Pp. borii, 676. $20.00.) Publication of the first volume of The Papers ofAndrewJohnson, a project sponsored by the University of Tennessee, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the...

The Government, the Historical Profession, and Historical Editing: A Review

Just over thirty years ago in a ceremony at the Library of Congress Harry S Truman was presented with the first volume of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. That same year the Federal Records Act resuscitated the National Historical Publications Commission, which had been created at the same time as the National Archives in order to plan and recommend a national program of documentary publication. In 1954, in response to Trumen's requests and after considerable study, the commission sent to President Eisenhower A National Program for the Publication of Historical Documents and thus launched a renaissance of historical editing in the United States. We have come far in three decades. By early 1979 the expanded and retitled National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)* spending some fourteen millions of federal dollars itself and with over eighteen million more of private donations, had sponsored the publication of some 237 letterpress volumes and nearly 5000 microfilm reels of historical documents, with many more partially completed and projected. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) contributed at least another seven and a half million dollars, and what with support from the institutions sponsoring and housing the projects, university presses, business, and foundations, the amount of money devoted to historical editing has undoubtedly exceeded forty million dollars. What has this money accomplished, and what is being accomplished now, every year, by the expenditure of over three million dollars in federal funds alone?1 Without question the huge outpouring of documents published with NHPRC and NEH guidance and encouragement has bestowed on historians greatly expanded access to the sources for teaching and research. Scholars now have much more accurate texts of important documents, large runs of

The New Deal and the Unemployed: The View from New York City

Journal Article The New Deal and the Unemployed: The View from New York City. By Barbara Blumberg. (Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 1979. 332 pp. Illustrations, notes, selected bibliography, and index. $19.50.) Get access Richard N. Sheldon Richard N. Sheldon National Historical Publications and Records Commission Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 67, Issue 4, March 1981, Page 961, https://doi.org/10.2307/1888124 Published: 01 March 1981

Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States (review)

BOOK REVIEW363 army strength," thereby undermining popular backing, discouraging enlistments, and paving die way for military defeat (p. 151). Escott's thesis is weakened by its reliance on several unproven assumptions. He assumes that it was within the power of one man to mitigate the Confederacy's internal deficiencies so as to avoid military defeat, evidently forgetting that Davis was not even able to feed and clothe the army adequately, let alone the civilian population. He also assumes that civilian disaffection was the main cause of military defeat, whereas the overwhelming weight of evidence, it seems to me, shows that failure in battle was, with all its consequences, by far the most important reason for declining morale. Finally, Escott assumes that the Confederacy lacked the allegiance of the majority of whites to such a degree as to justify his conclusion that Confederate nationalism failed. The fact is that three-fourths ofwhite male Confederates ofmilitary age served in the army, and more than half of those who served suffered wounds or death. If devotion to the cause is Escott's yardstick for nationalism, and if this remarkable display of patriotism and sacrifice is considered to have been insufficient, one wonders what would satisfy him. There is no doubt that Escott wants to be fair to Davis, and he has some very complimentary things to say about him. There are, in fact, inconsistencies in his presentation suggesting that he does not subscribe wholeheartedly to his own thesis, given his own presentation of the appalling difficulties with which David grappled so courageously. The book is written in a clear and straightforward style, and it provides a useful overview of the Confederacy's internal travails. Ludwell H. Johnson College of William and Mary Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the UnitedStates. (Washington, D.C: National Historical Publications and Records Commission, 1978. Pp. 905. $25.00.) Since the publication of Philip M. Hamer's A Guide to Archives and Manuscripts in the United States in 1961, various institutions have produced guides or catalogs of their holdings. Archives and manuscript repositories have also reported their more significant collections in the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) and American Literary Manuscripts. In the knowledge that Hamer's Guide especially was outdated, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) embarked on a program in 1974 to prepare a revised version. Rather than confine the project to Hamer alone, the NHPRC contacted repositories listed in NUCMC and in other publications. As a result, the number of entries more than doubled from some 1,300 in Hamer to 2,675 364CIVIL WAR HISTORY individual repositories in the Directory. As for its geographical scope, institutions are included for each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas Trust Territory. The entries are arranged alphabetically, first by state or territory, then by city, and last by the name of the institution. The Directory is useful for locating relatively current information on an archives or historical society. In addition to addresses, phone numbers and thehours when a repository is open, theDirectory includes a general description of individual holdings as well as appropriate sources to consult for more detail. Most entries also contain a section that lists the major subject areas for which an institution solicits material. Given the alphabetical arrangement of the work, one can easily consult the Directory to determine whether an institution in a particular geographical area might be interested in accepting material on a certain subject, such as letters to and from James A. Garfield. Should he wish to choose from among allknown repositories that collect Garfield material, however, he must first examine the entire volume in order to find most of the choices available. That is, he cannot simply rely on the index in the Directory. For those who require a comprehensive fist of known source material in a subject area, the name and broad subject index in this volume is not that useful. Under the "CONFEDERACY," for example, the index lists only six entries. In contrast, Hamer has eleven. More seriously, the index might actually tend to mislead novice or even experienced researchers...

Common Sense Security for Museum Libraries1

Curator: The Museum JournalVolume 22, Issue 3 p. 217-223 Common Sense Security for Museum Libraries1 Timothy Walch, Timothy Walch National Historical Publications And Records CommissionSearch for more papers by this author Timothy Walch, Timothy Walch National Historical Publications And Records CommissionSearch for more papers by this author First published: September 1979 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2151-6952.1979.tb00948.xCitations: 1 1 First presented at the International Symposium on Art Security at the University of Delaware, February 1979. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume22, Issue3September 1979Pages 217-223 RelatedInformation

Executive Branch and Independent Agencies

Agriculture, Department of. Rural Electrification Administration. Annual Statistical Report: Rural Telephone Borrowers. (1977, REA Bulletin 300-4) Board for International Broadcasting. Fifth Annual Report: 1979 (1979, 60 pp.) Commerce, Department of. Bureau of the Census. Commerce, Department of. National Bureau of Standards. Transfer of Monochrome Video Information from Magnetic Tape to Motion Picture Film for Archival Storage (NBC Special Publication 480-31, May 1978, 9 pp.) Commerce, Department of. National Technical Information Service (5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Va. 22161---or if you are in Washington visit their downtown center at 425 13th St. NW (Suite 620), Washington D.C. 20004) Commerce, Department of, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Consumer Product Safety Commission. Analysis of Subpoenaed Television Data by Beatrice Harwood (March 1978, 41 pp.) Federal Communications Commission 42nd Annual Report) Fiscal Year 1976 including Transition Quarter (1978,.233 pp.) Federal. Trade Commission Federal Council for Science and Technology. Report on Government Patent Policy: 1 January 1973 through 30 September 1976) (1978, 476 pp.) General Services Administration. National Archives and Records Service, National Audiovisual Center. A Reference List of Audiovisual Materials Produced by the United States Government (1978, 354 pp.) General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Service, National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States (1978, $25.00 hardbound, 905 pp.) General Services Administration. National Archives and Records Service. Office of the Federal Register. The Federal Register: What it is and How to Use It. (1978, 95 pp.) Government Printing Office. Subject Bibliographies (there are some 270 of them--usually revised annually. All are free on request, and you can get on a mailing list to get updates regularly) Health, Education and Welfare, Department of. Education Office. New Directions in Mass Communications Policy: I .lications for Citizen Education and Participation by Larry Rothstein (1978, OE-78-07003, 34 pages) Health, Education and 4elfare, Department of, National Center for Health Services Research. Teleheilth Handbook: A Guide to Telecommuni cationsI noloyfor Rural Health Care, by A.M. Bennett, et al, Mitre Corp. (DREW Pub. No. PHS 79-3210, May 1978) Justice, Department of, Antitrust Division Justice, Department of, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. State Criminal Justice Telecommunications (STACOM) Final Report (1978, 8 volumes) Labor, Department of. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Communications-Related Occupations (Bulletin 1955-35, reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1978-79 Edition) National Commission for the Review of Antitrust Laws and Procedures. Report (Volume I, 414 pp.) National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. Toward a National Program for Libra and Information Services: Goals for Action--an Overview (September 1978, 20 pp.) National Commission on New Technical Uses of Copyrighted Works. Preliminary Report (October 8, 1976, 55 pp.) National Endowment for the Arts. Arts and Cultural Programs on Radio and Television (1977, Research Division Report No. 4, 85 pp.) National Science Foundation. “Telecommunications,” by Charles N. Brownstein in Program Report 2:9:19-26 (November 1978) State, Department of. Advisory Committee on International Intellectual Property. Annual Report (issued since 1973) United States Commission on Civil Rights United States International Communication Agency United States International Trade Commission. Television Receivers, Color and Monochrome, Assembled or Not Assembled or Not Finished, and Subassemblies Thereof: Report to the President on 'nvesti.ation No. TA-201-19 (USITC Publication 808, March 1977, 130 pp.) United States Postal Service

The Historian and the Federal Government

OR specialists in United States history, nothing has more influence upon research than the policies of the federal government-policies that also affect teaching and employment. The way in which the government documents its operations, maintains records of lasting significance, protects them against destruction, insures equal access to all scholars at the earliest possible date, and provides finding aids is of primary concern to our profession. Appropriations for the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and other facilities can shape the course of writing in many fields. Publication of source materials is a practice as old as the republic. Recently, the allocation of federal funds has supported advanced research, teaching abroad, graduate training, and the preservation of manuscript collections. Although there is no book-length account of the influence of governmental policies on historical writing from the early nineteenth century to the present, several individuals have dealt with parts of the subject. John Higham, Walter Rundell, Lester J. Cappon-among others-have noted the government's contribution to an emergent profession, have described the wide range of federal historical activities, and have stressed the interests shared with archivists and editors.1 The purpose of this essay is neither to retrace the trail blazed by earlier authors nor to break new ground in unexplored areas, but rather to discuss some of today's important questions and to see how the Organization of American Historians and the American Historical Association have responded to them. It will consider the renewed drive for an independent National Archives, the changing focus of the National Historical Publications Commission, the continuing controversy over presidential libraries, the future course of the