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The White House nomination of Allen Weinstein, a historian of Soviet espionage, as archivist of the United States has caused a storm of protest in the normally quiet world of archivists and historians. Nineteen organizations, including the Society of American Archivists and the Organization of American Historians, have issued a joint statement expressing concern and calling on the Senate, which must confirm the nomination, to hold hearings to find out why the current archivist is being replaced and whether Weinstein is qualified. That call was heeded; hearings will be held "in the coming weeks," according to a Senate spokesperson. The groups' first concern is that the nomination appears to be a political move, while the position of archivist was supposed to have been depoliticized. There was no need to replace the present archivist, John Carlin, a Clinton appointee. Why, then, has the White House nominated a new archivist? Many speculate that George W. Bush, as well as his father, thinks the younger Bush may lose the election, and they want their man in control of their archives before that happens. Whatever Bush's motives may be, Weinstein, who declined a request for an interview, is considered by many archivists and historians to be unqualified on ethical grounds. They point to his buying exclusive access to restricted archives and his withholding of archival materials from other scholars, which appear to violate the ethical standards of the archivists' and historians' organizations. Another issue relevant to Weinstein's nomination concerns the sources of funding for his Center for Democracy.

This article looks at the nomination of historian Allen Weinstein to be the ninth archivist of the United States. Weinstein sailed through a July 22 hearing in the Senate on his controversial nomination. However, signaling a potential political battle over what was designed to be a nonpolitical position, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) revealed that a recent exchange of letters suggests that John Carlin's announced resignation from the post was not voluntary. In a July 22 letter to Levin, Carlin explained that White House counsel Alberto Gonzales requested his resignation. Critics of the Weinstein appointment have suggested that Carlin was asked to resign in an effort to keep sensitive presidential documents from becoming public. Meanwhile, Carlin remains in his current position and has asked to stay at least four more months to oversee certain initiatives. In August, Carlin named two firms to begin the process of finding a technological solution to a massive challenge-preserving electronic information. The contracts, valued at a combined $20.1million, have been awarded to Lockheed Martin ($9.5 million) and Harris Corporation ($10.6 million).

An interview with U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) archivist David Ferriero is presented. He provides an overview of the impact of a memorandum from President Barack Obama on controlled but unclassified information on presidential libraries and the operations and responsibilities of NARA. He also cites the measures of NARA to provide accessibility to government records in line with the open government initiative of Obama. He adds that NARA created the Holdings Protection team to ensure data security.

An interview with David Ferriero, the 10th Archivist of the U.S., is presented. He mentions the short-term challenges he needed to face at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) upon taking the position, which include making developments in electronic records, re-establishing oversight of records management programs and the security of collections. He explains the relationship between NARA and the Government Printing Office (GPO). He discusses the progress in the digitization of archives.

The article discusses the success of the fourth annual Genealogy Fair of National Archives held in Washington, D.C. in April 2008. This event serves as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) reminder of its role as source of information for those people who are interested to discover their family history. NARA holds the U.S. census records from 1790 to 1930, and the 1940 census will be opened in 2012.

Reports on the progress of the confirmation hearing on the pending nomination of historian Allen Weinstein as the next Archivist of the U.S. at the U.S. Senate. Overview on the speech of Weinstein; Citations of the questions faced by Weinstein from the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee; Concerns over the position of Weinstein in the Bush Executive Order 13233.

Reports that U.S. President George W. Bush has appointed historian Allen Weinstein on April 8, 2004 as the Archivist of the United States. Senior adviser at the International Foundation for Election Systems in Washington, DC; Former president of the controversial Center for Democracy; Violation of the Congressionally sanctioned requirement that selection of a nominee should be preceded by consultations with recognized organizations of professional archivists and historians.

Reports that the American Historical Association has joined other historical associations and related institutions in issuing a statement criticizing the nomination by President George W. Bush of Allen Weinstein, senior adviser at the International Foundation for Election Systems in Washington, D.C., to be the Archivist of the United States without public discussion. Statement by the current archivist John Carlin that he would retire in July 2005; Provisions of the National Archives and Records Administration Act of 1984 which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

This article presents an interview with Allen Weinstein of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration regarding problems encountered by the agency in its ongoing audit of declassified records that the federal agencies have been removing since 1999. Expected to be completed in April 2006, the audit is aimed at determining what they took, whether it was appropriate, and how to prevent the problem from recurring. According to Weinstein, he discovered the process through a "New York Times" story. Upon discovering it, he said that he had a conversation with Michael Kurtz and Bill Leonard, director of the Information Security Oversight Office. When asked about his vision for the National Archives and Records Administration, he explained that the problem with having a vision is having the resources to support the vision. Nevertheless, Weinstein has three visions: tend to the documents with great care; education in many dimensions; and develop ideal technology for the agency.

Presents an update on the Society for the National Archives in the U.S. as of spring 2005. Opening of the Public Vaults; Growth of the group of donors in the Society; Acknowledgement of Edwin and Naomi Singer for renewing their membership for the second year.

This article reports that after four years of planning, the National Archives opened its "Public Vaults" exhibit on November 12, 2004. This 9,000-square foot permanent exhibit displays letters, films, recordings, photographs, maps, and other archival items that provide a fascinating perspective on American history. This $7-million public-private partnership between the National Archives and the Foundation for the National Archives is intended to make the archives more accessible while also making the nation's history more interesting to visitors. The exhibit begins with the Record of America hallway; this central pathway takes the visitor on a journey through time and the changing technology of records. Branching off this pathway are five "vaults.

On April 8, 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush nominated historian Allen Weinstein to be archivist of the U.S. and head of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Weinstein currently served as senior advisor at the International Foundation for Election Systems and was a founder and former president of the Center for Democracy. The move has garnered much controversy. The nomination caught the archivist community-off-guard, current NARA head John Carlin had indicated his intention to serve until July 2005. Archivists groups said they were not consulted about the nomination, as has been the custom. On April 14, 2004, a coalition of archives groups, led by the Society of American Archivists (SAA), released a statement relaying their concern about Weinstein's qualifications to be the archivist of the U.S., as well as questioning whether his nomination was politically motivated. Weinstein nomination has been sent to the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee for consideration. His critics have demanded that the committee hold a hearing on the nomination. Senior committee staff said it is too early in the process for any senators to have formed an opinion of Weinstein.

Reports that the Organization of American Historians (OAH) has joined with the Society of American Archivists, the American Historical Association, the National Humanities Alliance, and nearly two dozen other groups, in issuing a statement against the nomination of Allen Weinstein as Archivist of the United States. Call on the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs to schedule open hearings on this nomination; Need to explore the reasons why the Archivist is being replace, and Weinstein's qualifications.