Recording History For Posterity

In the years since the United States began its fight against the Nazis, the National Archives has preserved records and stories of the war effort. These documents tell the story of the sacrifices made, the debates within the highest levels of government, and the bravery of those involved.

World War II saw an explosion of records. The National Archives faced the daunting task of preserving all of these records. It subsequently published a two-volume set of records from the war. The documents include German surrender documents and agreements on D-day invasions, as well as Japanese surrender documents.

Now, the Library of Congress is working to preserve these materials for posterity. The agency will catalogue, catalog, and digitize the materials and make them available to the public in Capitol Hill reading rooms. During the next five years, it will select 25 titles from its extensive collection of recordings to be archived in its National Recording Registry.

One of the most popular publications from the National Archives is the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. This is a comprehensive guide for researchers looking to identify and find records in the archives.

The National Recording Preservation Board, an arm of the Library of Congress, has been collecting and preserving important sound recordings for 85 years. Its current focus is to digitize more than 3,000 local oral history files.

The Library of Congress and the National Archives are working to record the history of the war effort. The archive is prepared to preserve records on paper, computer screens, and in person.