historical documents

Subscribe to NPR's Up First Email

The Department of Justice and Trump administration officials are invoking the state secrets privilege in the case involving Venezuelans sent to El Salvador. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Patrick Semansky/AP

Law

What is the 'state secrets privilege' invoked by the Trump administration?

March 26, 2025 • The state secrets privilege allows the U.S. government to withhold sensitive evidence in court cases. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have invoked it.

At Duke University, A Bizarre Tour Through American History And Palates

Archivist Amy McDonald invited some co-workers to help her re-create cherries jubilee from a university cookbook. But even with a historical paper trail, there were still things they couldn't figure out, like what to do after it starts flaming. Jerry Young/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Jerry Young/Getty Images

The Salt

At Duke University, A Bizarre Tour Through American History And Palates

September 21, 2017 • Through the Rubenstein Test Kitchen project, librarians and staff re-create historical recipes from thousands of cookbooks in the collections. Some dishes are culturally telling ... and comical.

Pat McCawley (left) and Eric Emerson look at a drawing of an asylum built in Columbia, S.C., in the 1820s. Cooper McKim/South Carolina Public Radio hide caption

toggle caption

Cooper McKim/South Carolina Public Radio

History

Being Destroyed By Laminate

SCPR News & Music

February 21, 2017 • Historical documents across the country are facing an issue other than age: An effort to preserve them decades ago is hastening the documents' demise.

Being Destroyed By Laminate

Listen · 3:15 3:15

Transcript

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/515410087/516488446" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Combining The Nation's Digitized Libraries, All In One Place

The San Francisco Public Library has been digitizing its historical document collections for years, including the scrapbooks of famed homicide detective Theodore Kytka. The SFPL is among scores of libraries and archives adding their digital collections to the DPLA. Via San Francisco Public Library hide caption

toggle caption

Via San Francisco Public Library

All Tech Considered

Combining The Nation's Digitized Libraries, All In One Place

August 19, 2013 • Libraries have been digitizing their collections for years, but the materials can be hard to find. Enter the Digital Public Library of America. Worried that Google has an outsized hand in digitizing books, the DPLA is combining, on one site, the digital collections of libraries nationwide — free.

Combining The Nation's Digitized Libraries, All In One Place

Listen · 5:36 5:36

Transcript

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/213498478/213595505" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript