National Archives & Records Administration

Center for Legislative Archives

Intern: Malisa Lewis, Sarah Raezler

Code: NARADC-01

The Center for Legislative Archives offers a unique experience as an executive branch entity with legislative branch responsibilities. As the custodian of the official records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, we work closely with Hill administrators and committee staff on a wide variety of records issues related to current and closed records. We also provide reference assistance to the public on the open records of Congress. The students would be able to observe and participate in the daily activities of the Center. They would gain experience in archival description, create on-line finding aids, and assist with researcher requests. They would also become familiar with some of the archival and institutional challenges the Center faces which may suggest areas of research they could pursue in their program. This week-long opportunity through ASBP will help promote the Center's longer-term internship program, and we hope that University of Michigan students will be interested in applying for one of the open intern slots in the future.

Office of Presidential Libraries - Presidential Research

Intern: Anne-Louise Mittal

Code: NARADC-03

The intern will work with Presidential Library central office staff to conduct research on the early lives of President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama. Building on the success of NARA's "School House to White House" exhibit the Office of Presidential Libraries is partnering with a publishing company to release a children's book entitled "The Presidents Go to School." This scrapbook of presidential memories and accomplishments will illustrate the wide range of educational experiences that shaped the lives of our country's leaders. The intern will work with the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library archival staff in order to select class photos report cards diplomas essays and letters from President George W. Bush's childhood. The intern will draft letters to President Obama's staff and help facilitate the communication needed in order to locate items from President Obama's childhood.

The intern should have excellent writing oral communication and research skills.

Polar Archives Collection and/or State Department Records Project

Intern: Ellen Wilson

Code: NARADC-04

The student who chooses this project will have their choice of assisgnments: Process specific materials in our Polar Archives Collection. The Polar Archives Collection is one of the few donated collections that the National Archives holds and includes materials relating to a variety of polar explorers - including Perry and Paul Siple. The collections include textual records artifacts photographs and carvings. The student would complete as many of the steps involved in archival processing during his or her week as possible. These steps would include arranging the materials; re-housing documents into acid-free boxes; determining if custom housing is needed; determining if conservation is needed; and writing a description of the materials for our online Archival Research Catalog (ARC). The student would be working with a senior supervisory archivist throughout the process. OR... Complete historical research on an item in our vault. This would include using a variety of outside sources as well record at the National Archives to find information about the assigned item. (These items are primarily from the records of the Department of State (RG 59)). The student would be working with a senior supervisory archivist throughout the process.

Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of personnel. Interest in records and/or desire to learn. Excellent research skills.

Office of Presidential Libraries - External Website Redesign

Code: NARADC-02

Goal: Create a website that answers common questions users have about Presidential Libraries, take users to sites that meet their needs, and educates users about the Presidential Libraries system. Project Objectives: Assess the content and ease of navigation of the current website, including links. Suggest Web 2.0 applications and content. Design navigation strategies to simplify user access to content. Edit content on the home page, including revising, adding or deleting current content. Complete a draft revision of the Office of Presidential Libraries home page with links to proposed additional and/or revised pages. Learning Objectives: Understand the purpose of the National Archives and the Office of Presidential Libraries. Learn communication strategies to meet the needs of presidential libraries' audiences. Understand the organization of the presidential libraries how they have changed over time and their relevance for the 21st century. Understand the complex impact of relationships between presidential libraries and their partners.

Skills needed: Experience designing websites for archives, libraries or museums. Experience with one or more audiences for archives; e.g. researchers, educators, students, lifelong learners, the general public. Experience with Photoshop, Cascading Style Sheets, and a web programming language. Ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing.

Required activities before beginning the project: Read the Strategic Plan and the FY 2009 Annual Performance Plan for the National Archives and Records Administration. Review the Office of Presidential Libraries website. Review at least four of the Presidential Libraries websites (beyond just the home page), one from each of the following sets: Hoover, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton. Review the National Archives' web page describing current partnerships, in particular those with EMC2 Corporation and the University of Texas at Austin.