Motion Picture Stock Shots: Now Available!

Improved access to Motion Picture Library stock shots, and some of our spookiest holdings, just in time for Halloween!

View email in your browser Share this email with a friend Searchable Stock Shots Now available in the Catalog: Motion Picture Library Stock Shots (306-LSS), a series of gorgeous black and white reels of stock footage compiled by the United States Information Agency (USIA). Footage in the 306-LSS series covers locations around the country, including Grand Coulee, Washington. (Still from 306-LSS-900, National Archives Identifier 58158.) In response to researcher requests, the Motion Picture Preservation Lab at the National Archives has digitized 398 of 428 Library Stock Shot reels and made them available in the Catalog for broader public access. But they didn't stop there! Now that the films are available in the Catalog, staff were able to use the Citizen Archivist tagging tool to further enhance access to these films. Footage of soap box derby, with descriptive keyword tags added in the Catalog. Still from 306-LS-1669, National Archives Identifier 58263.  Staff added record tags, such as the title of a film or government agency that produced the footage (if known), and identified people, locations, and objects. They also transcribed slates and signs that may help with identification. Each of these enhancements are now searchable in the Catalog, helping to make the films more findable and useful to researchers.  Still from 306-LS-677, National Archives Identifier 58054. Learn more about these records and the Motion Picture Preservation Lab's work to digitize these records and make them available on the Unwritten Record blog. Still from 306-LS-998, National Archives Identifier 58198. Citizen Archivist Opportunities! Want to try your hand at identifying additional details in these films? Register as a Citizen Archivist and continue making this interesting footage more searchable online. Or try one of our tagging missions: Bureau of Public Roads 1896-1963 - Help us tag details and features you find such as vehicles (can you identify the model and make?), highway structures, buildings, tourist cabins and motels, car washes, shopping centers, bus terminals, and parking garages. Get started tagging! Native American Photographs Tagging Mission - More than 18,000 photographs from the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are now available in the Catalog. We are looking for Citizen Archivists to add specific topical subject tags to each photograph in the Record Group. Adding tags will help increase access to these rich records. Join the mission and get started tagging! New to the Citizen Archivist program? Learn how to register and get started. Already have an account? Login here. Curious about what makes a good tag?  Check out our how-to guide. Haunted Archives Just in time for Halloween, we are looking through our holdings to find some spooky, creepy and festive Halloween images. Trick or treat! US National Archives on Giphy. Source: Promotional booklet published by Dr. A. C. Daniels about his veterinary medicines. National Archives Identifier 18497522. From Jack-o-lanterns to costumes, and potentially life saving devices, there is always something unexpected in utility patent drawings! Learn more on the Unwritten Record blog.  Patent Case File No. 848938, Toy Lanterns, Inventor(s) Jessie Carr Tyndall. National Archives Identifier 24200936. You never know what you might come across while you are transcribing! While looking through Correspondence for the Claim of Otto Land, readers will learn that in the copy of the memorial claim, he describes damages against his person, property, and family caused by "bandits." Also included is a photograph of Otto Land "for the purpose of showing his left hand with the little finger removed as stated in his claim." The photograph and statement accompanied the shipment of two fingers belonging to Mr. Land and Gustav Whiteford.  L: Correspondence for the Claim of Otto Land. National Archives Identifier 66395458. R: Fingers of Otto Land and Gustav Whiteford, 1918. National Archives Identifier 66395445.  And finally, some Halloween themed photographs found in the Catalog, sure to put you in a festive spirit! L: A giant spider hangs from the North Portico of the White House during Halloween festivities, Oct. 31, 2009, National Archives Identifier 176552482. R: Vice President Dick Cheney's Labrador retrievers Jackson, left, and Dave, right, prepare for Halloween, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007, National Archives Identifier 174678964. L: A satellite communications dome is lighted and decorated to represent the "Great Pumpkin", 10/23/1992, National Archives Identifier 6485359. R: Records of NASA, How computers work while person dressed as Dracula, 11/25/1980, National Archives Identifier 17499530. Ready for some pumpkin carving? Show off your love of history with our pumpkin carving stencils!  National Archives Rotunda Reopens The Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, will open for viewing the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights with limited capacity from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays starting October 10, 2020. Reserve timed entry tickets (use Internet Explorer for best results). All other exhibits are closed at this time. Read details of the re-opening in the National Archives news release.  History Hub Have a question? Find your answer on History Hub!  History Hub is our support community for researchers, genealogists, history enthusiasts, and citizen archivists. Ask questions, share information, work together, and find help based on experience and interests. Researchers can ask—or answer—questions on History Hub, or search to see if a question has been asked before. Citizen Archivists, there's a group just for you! You can share tips and strategies, find new challenges, and get support for your work.   Once you've signed up, check out our poll:         What kinds of records do you like to transcribe? ➔ COVID-19 Update The National Archives is committed to the health and safety of our visitors and staff. 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