Welcome!
The Local Arrangements and Program Committees invite you to join us in Arlington, Virginia, for the
Spring 2004 MARAC meeting as we consider Archives: In the National Interest.
We will gather from April 22–24, 2004, at the Key Bridge Marriott, located at the foot of the Key Bridge and
just across the Potomac River from Georgetown. Our host city of Arlington was once considered a country
retreat from the nearby District of Columbia (DC), and today is a thriving and diverse community.
There is a great deal to explore in Arlington and the surrounding area. An enticing group of tours that highlight
Northern Virginia await you. The tours provide the opportunity to visit the homes of some of Virginia's
most famous citizens. These include Woodlawn Plantation, where Major Lawrence and Eleanor Custis
Lewis lived, and Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason. A walking tour of Old Town Alexandria will
provide you with insight into the daily lives of Northern Virginians throughout history. A tour at the new
National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly offers the prospect of viewing
many of the over 300 air and space craft on display, including the space shuttle Enterprise and the Boeing
B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay. Unique tours of the wineries of Northern Virginia are also offered. As always,
the museums, monuments, and restaurants of DC are just a short Metrorail ride away.
The Program Committee has assembled an exciting array of sessions, highlighting the great importance of
all variety and manner of archival institutions—large or small, public or private, local or national. Session
topics include African American communities, women in the military, politicians' restrictions, archivists'
enhancements, the local history of Arlington, and the national impact of September 11. Whether paper, digital,
audio, or film, we all contribute to Archives: In the National Interest.
Friday morning's plenary session will feature David Mengel and John Powers from the National Archives
and Records Administration's (NARA) Nixon Presidential Materials Staff. They will discuss NARA's ongoing
efforts to preserve and make accessible the Nixon tapes and play excerpts from the collection as they
discuss the complex process of the tape release.
Our luncheon will be held atop the hotel in TJ's Steakhouse, which has an amazing panoramic view of the
District of Columbia. Anthony S. Pitch, recipient of the 2001 Arline Custer Award for his book The Burning
of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814, will discuss his newest research project on the assassination of
President Abraham Lincoln and share his insights with us.
Friday evening's reception will be held at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Located
at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, the Memorial—dedicated in 1997 by President
William J. Clinton—is a stunning tribute to the women who have served and continue to serve our nation in
the military. In addition to the permanent exhibits, docents will be on hand to tell us about the Memorial
and the ongoing history project, and the gift shop will be open.
We hope that you will join us in Arlington for Archives: In the National Interest.
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Laura E. Drake, The Library of Virginia