Research Guides: Special Collections & Archives: Researching archives

Finding material in the archives

Because he USNA Archives is an affiliate of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the best electronic resource available is NARA's online catalog.

NARA's Guide to Federal Records offers a summary of the archvies.
For a more detailed summary, click the "Search this Record Group in the National Archives Online Catalog" box on that page.
If you get lost, go back to the Advanced Search page of NARA's online catalog. As you search, make sure "405" is in the "Record Group Number/Collection ID" field to ensure you're searching only USNA records.

There are a few other archives finding aids available. Some are online. Most are not.

Online	Print
A few groups of archival records have online finding aids.	A printed version of NARA's guide to the USNA Archives, with slightly more information than is found online is available in SC&A.
	SC&A has a few other informal print and electronic finding aids for the archives. Contact us to learn more about those.

Midshipmen conduct records: Recorded in large log books until the 1910s. Available on microfilm as part of midshipmen's personnel jackets thereafter. Because personnel jackets contain PII, those from more recent years may not be accessible.
Alumni jackets: Contain mostly information collected by the alumni association about a midshipman's naval career, including newspaper clippings, biographical sketches, obituaries, and casualty reports. Not all midshipmen have alumni jackets, but they exist for most of the prominent alumni.
USNA Buildings & monuments: There are both textual records and photos related to Naval Academy buildings and monuments both past and present.