The Papers of the War Department (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: The Papers of the War Department
Author: Christopher Hamner
Abstract: On the night of November 8, 1800, fire destroyed the War Office, including the papers, records, and books stored there. The Papers of the War Department 1784-1800, a digital editorial project, will be reconstructing some 42,000 documents many long thought irretrievable, through a multi-year research effort. The documents are available in a free, online format with extensive and searchable metadata linked to digitized images of each document, thereby insuring free access for a wide range of users, both scholars and the interested general public.
Year: 2006
Primary URL: http://wardepartmentpapers.org/index.php
Access Model: Website

Parameters: Knowledge Under Digital Conditions (Blog Post)
Title: Parameters: Knowledge Under Digital Conditions
Author: Sheila A. Brennan
Abstract: The blog post describes reconstruction of paper records and overall sustainability of materials. It specifically cites the successful Papers of the War Department 1784-1800 project, and also an instance when paper records could not be reconstructed. It ends with a brief discussion of the importance and necessity of digital sustainability of records, and cites guidelines and grant programs that can help.
Date: 06/07/2017
Primary URL: http://parameters.ssrc.org/2017/06/data-loss-and-recovery-in-the-age-of-paper/
Primary URL Description: SSRC blog post site
Secondary URL: http://www.ssrc.org/
Secondary URL Description: Parent organization
Blog Title: Data loss and recovery in the age of paper
Website: SSRC Digital Projects

Permalink: https://apps.neh.gov/publicquery/products.aspx?gn=RQ-50334-08