The New National Archives Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
By Rita Kaiser, Reference Services Librarian
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently launched Access to Archival Databases (AAD), a new research tool that makes a selection of the Archives' most popular electronic records available to the public over the Internet. The URL is http://www.archives.gov/aad/ but you can also reach it from our web site at www.kcll.org through our Research Links.
So what does this mean for legal related research? AAD includes some databases that you previously had to pay to access- such as various federal contracts, grants and awards and the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), which is available here from 1978-1997. It also includes databases that you could not search at all in an archived version, as the data was not in electronic form. In addition, this is the type of information that search engines cannot get to-part of what is becoming known as the "invisible web."
While you can now search these files via the web, you cannot necessarily search the full databases at once.
The information fits mainly into two different categories. First, the researcher can find people-related information such as military conflict or war-related records like prisoner of war data from World War II through the Vietnam War, civil war sites databases, Japanese-American Internet files, and more.
I searched through the "World War II Prisoners of War" file and found the record of my Uncle Matt, who was a gunner in the war, was shot down, and was a German prisoner of war. He never let the Germans know that he understood the language.
The second type of information available is federal agency data related to procurement, securities ownership, federal grants and assistance, Office of Thrift Supervision data from the failed savings and loans, major collective bargaining settlements, work stoppages, and more.
Searching the data is not necessarily easy. I recommend that you check the "sample values" for each field when you prepare to search a file. These values change from database to database and knowing how each one treats your search is essential.
For instance, the Defense Contract Action Data System, which reports military contract action from 1975 to 1991, contains the same kind of records as the MThe New National Archives Access to Archival Databases (AAD) Military Prime Contract Files, 1965-1975. But the two files do not allow the same kind of search. The Military Prime Contract files lets you search by contract number, contract type, and contractor name, among other values. The Defense Contract Action Data system allows searches by contract number, contract type, plus a value range, but not by contractor name. But if you look at the full records in each database you will see that the same information appears in both files. Knowing how to search the files is important. In some of the files you need to select your search terms by choosing the "Select from Code List" link. So be sure to check the search features of each database before you start your search.
After you find the records you want you can display them or in some cases download them to use later. The record details include links to the meanings for many of the columns displayed in the complete record. Sometimes these are rather cryptic. Looking at the AAD terminology can be helpful and clicking on the Search tips and the Help links can narrow your results when you get too many records or help you expand them when you get too few.
These files are so fascinating that you may find yourself searching them for hours. And the information you find can be useful, but you will need real patience to find the gems contained within the archived databases. This is the type of information you used to have to go to a reading room to get, or file a Freedom of Information request. Now you just need a web browser and lots of time.
