Technical Tour
ASPRS Potomac Region Technical Tour - Fall 2009
ASPRS-Potomac Region Technical Tour
Cartographic Section of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
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The next ASPRS‐Potomac Region Tech Tour will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at 2:00 PM, at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. We will visit the Cartographic, Architectural and Aerial Photographic Records Section, which maintains and provides access to 180,000 to 190,000 cans of film, 20 million images from the 1930’s – 1970’s and 1.2 million maps – a rich source of information that can be used for researchers performing change detection. The tour will provide information for members wishing to use the Archives’ store of maps and aerial photography for their work. The availability and handling of the original negative films is strictly regulated in order to preserve their rich historical value – members will be provided an orientation to this process. The tour is estimated to take approximately an hour, depending upon questions and needs of the group. If you plan to perform research in conjunction with the tour, bring along your area of interest Lat/Long and bounding box coordinates. Requests for film canisters in cold storage normally take 3 days and require a return visit to the Archives for review. Be sure to bring a photo ID and give plenty of time to travel, park and enter the Archives building.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Doucette at 703‐735-2739, peter.doucette@itt.com
After‐Tour Social Event: Please join your colleagues for some fun, food, and conversation, after the NARA tour, at nearby University Town Center Old Dominion Brewhouse at 6504 America Blvd #105, Hyattsville, MD 20782. For more information about the venue, visit: http://utcolddominionbrewhouse.com
Where: National Archives and Records Administration
Cartographic and Architectural Section (NWCSC)
8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001
Tel: 703‐877‐8000
http://www.archives.gov/publications/general-info-leaflets/26.html
When: 28 October, 2009, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Who: A maximum of 30 ASPRS‐Potomac Region Active Members and students
Registration: A maximum or 30 members/students please register at:
Transportation
Driving directions: From I-495 (The Capital Beltway) take exit 28B for New Hampshire Avenue (Route 650) south. Once headed south on New Hampshire, take a left at the second light onto Adelphi Road. Follow Adelphi Road for a couple of miles until you see the large green sign for Archives II on the left. Turn into the entrance.
Parking:Visitor parking is available, but very limited during research hours. Parking spaces in the garage area fill very quickly. If you plan to visit, we recommend that you use public transportation.
If you intend to drive and park, please note:
- The parking garage opens to the public at 8:00 AM.
- A security officer will:
- Check your photo identification (all visitors must present photo ID)
- Direct you to the second entrance of the parking garage
- Provide you with a daily parking permit and instructions on parking.
- Overnight parking is not permitted.
- If the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) is raised to the level "Orange" or higher, additional security screening procedures may significantly delay entrance of passenger vehicles.
- Notice on change in parking and access procedures as of July 1, 2005
Subway: In College Park, take Metrorail's Green Line to the Greenbelt, Fort Totten, or Prince George's Plaza stations, where you can connect with the R3 Metrobus to the National Archives.
Bus Service:Two main Metro bus routes run from Metrorail (Washington's subway) to NARA's College Park facility, Metrobus (R-3), and the (C-8).
The following bus schedules are available on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority web site: (Note: the National Archives and Records Administration is not responsible for any information posted on www.wmata.com).
Directions to Social Event from the National Archives: Suggested driving directions to University Town Center Old Dominion Brewhouse at 6504 America Blvd, Hyattsville, MD 20782 from the National Archives at College Park, MD. Head northwest on Adelphi Road toward Metzerott Road. Make a U-turn at Metzerott Road so that you are heading south on Adelphi Road. Turn right onto Toledo Road and make a left turn at America Boulevard. Distance is approximately 3 miles from the National Archives at College Park, MD.
About the Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) safeguards records on which the people of a democracy depend for the continuity, accountability, and credibility of their national institutions. NARA is the official repository of the permanently valuable records made or accumulated by the U.S. Government and is responsible for preserving those records and making them available to the general public, government officials, and scholars. NARA enables people to inspect for themselves the record of what government has done. It enables officials and agencies to review their actions and helps citizens hold them accountable. NARA ensures continuing access to essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of Federal officials, and the national experience.
Among the records in the Cartographic and Architectural Section (NWCSC) are over 15 million maps, charts, aerial photographs, architectural drawings, patents, and ships plans, constituting one of the world's largest accumulations of such documents. These holdings are arranged in 190 record groups, which reflect the origins of the records in specific federal departments and agencies. On-site researchers may examine these records and finding aids in the Cartographic and Architectural Research Room.
- Holdings of the Special Media Archives Services Division's Cartographic and Architectural unit at College Park relate primarily to the official functions of the Federal Government.
- Architectural and engineering drawings relate almost exclusively to structures and equipment built by or for the Federal Government.
- Holdings are arranged by the Federal offices that created or accumulated the records.
Maps that predate the Federal Government and 19th century maps of areas outside the United States are rare among the unit's holdings.
