tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post3146904008838889456..comments2024-03-14T13:25:20.613-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: The Archives Just Aren’t the SameUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-16226021710546049862010-08-27T18:37:11.949-05:002010-08-27T18:37:11.949-05:00I’ve been told that Footnote.com does offer online...I’ve been told that Footnote.com does offer online access to Revolutionary War pension files. I thought that was the case, but at N.A.R.A. the staff definitely sent me through Ancestry.com.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-88371989870097646542010-08-25T12:08:23.211-05:002010-08-25T12:08:23.211-05:00That Waltham facility is scheduled to close for re...That Waltham facility is scheduled to close for renovation later this year, but then reopen. I don’t know what its new configuration will be. There are still some paper records there, and not everything on microfilm has been digitized yet. <br /><br />I’m sure N.A.R.A. is rethinking how it works in a digitally connected age, and how it can best fulfill its mission. The librarians at Waltham were very helpful to a couple on their first visit, and that sort of help wouldn’t have been so available online. <br /><br />In addition, we’ve long thought that democracy requires the public to have access to government records; such access is even mentioned in the Declaration. While putting government data online makes it more available in one way, adding a paywall makes it less available in another. A locale for free access might be a constitutional necessity.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-1992319185802900812010-08-25T09:39:14.218-05:002010-08-25T09:39:14.218-05:00I was also shocked when I went to that NARA Waltha...I was also shocked when I went to that NARA Waltham facility. Not only were most of the microfilm readers and cabinets gone, but there were only three people sitting at computers. I was told all the records were on Ancestry. It was a wasted trip and I could have stayed at home and done it. One of these days, I believe they will close those doors.Barbara Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07440544740334032378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-10911021375338348712010-08-23T09:49:20.512-05:002010-08-23T09:49:20.512-05:00There are places that recycle microfilm. I hope o...There are places that recycle microfilm. I hope one was used rather than the mf just being discarded.<br /><br />DavidDavidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-21942211253214871792010-08-22T19:41:14.374-05:002010-08-22T19:41:14.374-05:00Well, Mr. Bell, I'm sharing the same tearful n...Well, Mr. Bell, I'm sharing the same tearful nostalgia with you. Change is difficult for those so accustomed to mundane.<br /><br />Yes, those technological advances are time-saving and convenient. Yes, they will prevent the many headaches from dealing with the old microfilm machines, but why, oh why, throw the old reels away? Couldn't they have been sold in public auction, and the money given for the betterment of the Archives? I understand the originals of the reels are still around, but for what purpose was there to throw the copies out like some old blanket? No further use, I guess, and with no appreciation for the history of those objects.<br /><br />Alas, an old-time way of life passes into oblivion with no fanfare, with no good-bye. History is history, and things of the technological past are to be left in the dust of a new and seemingly better advancement.Tessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-86772983501754614292010-08-21T21:33:17.312-05:002010-08-21T21:33:17.312-05:00My nostalgic experiences don't have the same f...My nostalgic experiences don't have the same feelings as J.L. has. I found the microfilm reels and viewing stations noisy and primitive at both the Massachusetts Historical Society and up at the state archives on Columbia Point. The pages of reference printed, if at all, sideways on the pgaes and partly blurred. All hail computers! I will only miss the common comradarie inside the buildings!John L. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14827783825431694038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-67374983416380343902010-08-21T20:08:37.276-05:002010-08-21T20:08:37.276-05:00I believe the National Archives is preserving the ...I believe the National Archives is preserving the original documents and copies of the microfilm (negative and positive). It’s just this regional outlet that didn’t see the need to retain its copy of the microfilm.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-68394892458309015032010-08-21T19:58:22.830-05:002010-08-21T19:58:22.830-05:00Are the original hard-copy documents still preserv...Are the original hard-copy documents still preserved?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02572326586888509489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-72487007359526625812010-08-21T18:15:12.685-05:002010-08-21T18:15:12.685-05:00I can't hide my enthusiasm that the microfilm ...I can't hide my enthusiasm that the microfilm technology is FINALLY passing out of research. If you've done any historical research in the last 40 years, you've inevitably sat in front of one of these horrible machines. My primary experience occurred at the American Antiquarian Society about 8 years ago, where, I could view a lot of their archives on microfilm, but I was limited to ONLY 10 DIFFERENT COPIES of varying pages. What the heck was that about--I had to pay for them, so who cares if I wanted 70 copies or 5? I managed to make a "mistake" one day and make as many copies as I wanted--whew!pilgrimchickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13808106043964544413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-57114593256844383492010-08-21T11:33:40.428-05:002010-08-21T11:33:40.428-05:00For old time's sake, you can head over to the ...For old time's sake, you can head over to the Massachusetts Archives and read microfilm there. You can even still get a workout by cranking through the reels by hand!Brookenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-17854676840292807012010-08-21T09:52:15.286-05:002010-08-21T09:52:15.286-05:00At some (most? all?) of those microfilm readers th...At some (most? all?) of those microfilm readers that are attached to computer terminals, you can also save the image as a PDF file to a flash drive, or e-mail it to yourself. I'm told that the demand for printed copies is declining rapidly as more and more people simply save an electronic file.<br /><br />They used to give you an option to burn the file to a CD, but that option too is now history.Charles Bahnenoreply@blogger.com