Collection documents can sometimes have codes and cryptic text that make them challenging to decipher. Here’s a brief look at what we think about when facing this kind of challenge.

Dr. Nancy Bercaw, co-curator of the “Slavery and Freedom” exhibit, National Museum of African American History and Culture, oversaw a slave cabin's move from Edisto Island, South Carolina to the Smithsonian: “I have to see it where it was...I felt like I needed to meet people as well.” #Groundbreaker

See how one collection of field books yielded a variety of challenges and treatments for the Archives’ conservators.

Link Love: a weekly blog feature with links to interesting videos and stories regarding archival issues, the Smithsonian, Washington D.C & American history.

Lively diaries chronicle both the incredible and the mundane adventures of ornithologist Neal Smith during his fieldwork in the Arctic.

Drs. Joanne Hyppolite and Deborah Mack had the near impossible task of distilling 400 years of African American style, food, craftsmanship, and more into the inaugural "Cultural Expressions" exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. #Groundbreaker (s)

Find out what the hot topics were at the archives based on the top 10 blog posts.