It has been a while (6 years) since I worked at the National Archives in
Washington, DC.  However, I can tell you that the institution does not
scrutinize the academic credentials of anyone who comes to them with a
research request.  (You should have read some of the letters we in Public
Programs DID respond to--"send me everything you have about the Revolu-
tionary War."  for instance).  Anyone can do research at the National
Archives.  Since I left, I understand that they have
put as many of their finding aids as is practicable on the internet.  If
you have access to the World Wide Web, you can look up the National
Archives home page, which will give you access to the Archives Gopher,
which should tune you in to the finding aids available on-line.

I wish some of my NARA friends were on this list--they could explain it
all much better than me.

Claudia Nicholson
Curator of Collections
South Dakota State Historical Society, Pierre

[log in to unmask]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In article <[log in to unmask]>, Chris
Andersen <[log in to unmask]> says:
>
>Would any archives people out there like to respond the attached inquiry
>concerning access to the Metro Toronto and National archives?
>
>Chris J.-Andersen ([log in to unmask])
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Sun, 26 May 96 21:41:19 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [log in to unmask]
>To: HOn30 Mail Car <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: "The Archivist" and Archives in General
>
><snip...> Now a question: how does a member of the general public, without
>academic status, gain access to the National Archives and other archives?
>Are search and request services available on the net for the Canadian
>archives?  A month or two ago, there was some talk of access to the US
>Library of Congress on the net - is there anything similar for Canadians?
>Would anyone here know how I would go about getting into the Metro Toronto
>archives?  Any information concerning procedures, fees, rules for copying
>materials, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Thanks -
>Jon Piasecki
>versed @ ican.ca