History Graduate Students' Union
![History Graduate Students' Union History Graduate Students' Union -](https://static.ucalgary.ca/current/global/images/banner_b.jpg?669914899)
The most important thing to remember when dealing with the US federal archives is that they're not actually in D.C. Yes there are archives there but they're mostly a museum at this point with only a very limited selection of documents. Most material (including Military and Foreign Affairs) is located in College park MD, about 30-40 minutes north of D.C. The ARC finding aid system should tell you where the documents you want are.
Strengths
Archivists: The US archives lack the online finding aids found in Canada, they compensate with a large and knowledgeable staff of archivists that are constantly helping clients find material. Asking one of these people what you should be doing and where you should be looking is a vital first step.
Fast & Efficient: Documents are brought out every 3 hours and a hard working researcher can go through an enormous amount of material in a day.
Weaknesses
Paranoia: Be prepared for scans, searches and multiple checkpoints to get in or out.
Finding Aid System: Most NARA searching is done with paper finding aids. There is an online system called ARC - however this system does not provide you with reference numbers and cannot be relied upon to be an exhaustive search of your topic. Before visiting, a researcher should go through the ARC system and find as much as possible using keyword searches - these searches can then be used as a point of departure when using the paper finding aids.