1. Running Head: The National Archives 1
Client Diagnosis: The National Archives
Erin Colby
Emporia State University
5/5/2010

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Interview
I conducted a reference interview with my colleague, Dana Carter, a graduate assitant in
the SLIM department at Emporia State University. In my reference interview Dana requested
information on the National Archives as she is interested in archival studies and history. Dana
wanted to learn more about the history of the National Archives, their responsibilities, and how
the records are organized. She is planning on using this information for her own general
knowledge in the archival and history fields. We determined that for this project she would
prefer a higher level of information in the form of website and government documents.
My interview questions were as follows:
Do you have something specific in mind that you would like to know about?
Well, I was thinking about something in the history field, since that is what I’m interested
in.
Well history is a pretty broad topic, what would you like to know specifically?
I’m also interested in archiving …what about the National Archives?
What information would you like about the National Archives?
I think it would be interesting to know more about what the National Archives does,
when they were founded, how they organize their information.
Would you like general information, or more scholarly information on this topic?
I would like more scholarly information, from a primary source.
Search Strategy

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I began my search using the National Archives website, where I found most of the
information for Dana. I clicked on the “About the National Archives” tab which brought
up information about the history, mission, locations, and responsibilities of the National
Archives. All the information that I provided for Dana will be listed under the “results”
heading below.
Next I headed to Emporia State University’s online catalogue and searched
“National Archives” as my keyword search. This returned results such as The National
Archives in the nation's capital: information for researchers, a government document,
call number AE 1.113:71/2009; Federal records centers of the National Archives and
Records Administration: Washington National Records Center, Suitland, MD, another
government document, call number AE 1.113:19/2008
Then I put in “National Archives and organization” into the key word search to
see if it would bring up some different documents. This returned such results as Federal
IT security a review of H.R. 4791 : joint hearing before the Subcommittee on Information
Policy, Census, and National Archives and the Subcommittee on Government
Management, Organization, and Procurement of the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, second
session, on H.R. 4791 to amend title 44, United States Code, to strengthen requirements
for ensuring the effectiveness of information security controls over information resources
that support federal operations and assets, and for other purposes, February 14, 2008, a
government document, call number Y 4.G 74/7:110-72. Respect for authority: authority
control, context control, and archival description, a book published by Hayworth Press,
call number 025.3414 R312.

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Finally, I did a dialogue search using the U.S Government category and choosing
the government publications (U.S) to narrow the search. I then put in the key word
“National Archives” and narrowed the date from 2000 to 2010. From that search I
yielded 3,341 results. I then decided to narrow my search even more and combine my
first search with the keyword “United States” and narrow my dates from 2005 to 2010,
which yielded 991 results. I then refined my search one last time and combined the
keyword “organization” which cut down my results to 221. I did not find any useful
information with that search. I concluded that I had found enough information from my
previous searches, so I decided to end my information search.
Results
History
I found that the National Archives was “established in 1934 by President Franklin
Roosevelt, but its major holdings date back to 1775.” (National Archives) Roosevelt wanted to
centralize the federal record keeping system with the Archivist of the United States as its chief
administrator to find and archive the nation’s most important documents. The National Archives
started with just one building in Washington DC.; now there are 37 branches across the United
States today. (National Archives)
What they do
The National Archives is the official record keeper of the United States Government’s
documents for legal and historical reasons, which is only about 1-3 % of the documents that are
produced each year (National Archives). To keep up with the volume of government documents
that need to be archived, the NARA uses an Electronic Records Archives, or ERA that keeps

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essential electronic Federal records easily “retrievable, readable, and authentic for as long as they
remain valuable.” (National Archives) Not all of the records are available online, due to the
amount of records that they have.
Mission/Vision
The mission of the National Archives is to:
The National Archives and Records Administration serves American democracy by safeguarding
and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and
learn from this documentary heritage. We ensure continuing access to the essential
documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government. We
support democracy, promote civic education, and facilitate historical understanding of our
national experience. (National Archives)
The Vision of the Nation Archives is:
As the nation’s record keeper, it is our vision that all Americans will understand the vital role
records play in a democracy, and their own personal stake in the National Archives. Our
holdings and diverse programs will be available to more people than ever before through modern
technology and dynamic partnerships. The stories of our nation and our people are told in the
records and artifacts cared for in NARA facilities around the country. We want all Americans to
be inspired to explore the records of their country. (National Archives)
Success
I spoke with Dana after I concluded my research to show her the results of her reference
request. After presenting her with the information that I found she stated that she was happy with
the information that I found for her. She liked that I had a variety of sources to show her, but
was especially pleased with the website, because it contained most of the information that she
would be using.

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Evaluation of the process
I thought the interview and the search process went very well. I was able to effectively
evaluate Dana’s needs by using neutral and open questioning techniques. I also followed up with
her after I concluded my research to make sure the sources I found met her needs or if she
required further information. I was able to easily find most of the information needed on the
National Archives website, and conduct a simple keyword search to find the information I
needed. The only trouble I had was with my Dialogue search, I feel that my limited experience
using the program prohibited me form conducting an effective search within the program.
In the Grover/Carabell article they stressed the importance of customizing
information and the use of systematic diagnosis skills will greatly increase the effectiveness of
the information you provide your client (Grover 1995). I feel like I did that with this reference
search. Dana wanted specific types of sources and I feel like I produced those sources for her.
They were all professional in nature and primary sources. Also understanding the client’s view
point is essential in diagnosing the client’s needs. I know that Dana has extensive knowledge in
the fields of archival studies and history, so while searching for information I tried to find
sources that delved deeper into what she wanted to know about the National Archives.
I was also reminded of the seminal article Neutral Questioning by Brenda Dervin and
Patricia Dewdney while conducting my reference interview with Dana. Even though I know
Dana very well, the use of neural questioning helped immensely when conducting my reference
interview with her. I had to determine exactly what she wanted to know, and I used the neutral
questioning techniques to determine her information need.

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I enjoyed this assignment, and I feel more confident in my interview skills and I look
forward to being able to conduct more reference interviews in the future.

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Works Cited
Dervin, B. & Dewdney, P. (1986). Neutral questioning: A new approach to the reference
interview. RQ, 25(4), 506-13.
Grover, R. & Carabell, J. (1995). Toward better information service: Diagnosing information
needs. Special Libraries, 86 (1), 1-10.
The National Archives and Record Administration. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/ on
May 7, 2010.