Terms and Conditions for Using Our Web Site

We are committed to protecting your privacy. We do not collect personally identifying information about you when you visit our site unless you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary. This policy is your guide to how we will handle information we learn about you from your visit to our website.

This site is a partnership between the National Archives Foundation (NAF) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The NAF is the principal non-profit 501(c)(3) partner organization that supports the programs and activities of the National Archives.

Personal Information

You may elect to sign in so that your saved information is available when you return. The site requires your name, email address and a password to create an account.

We do not collect any other personally identifiable information about you unless you voluntarily submit such information to us, by, for example, filling out a registration form or survey. We use this information to assist us in improving existing or future products, tools, services, and communication materials.

This information is not used for any other purpose, nor is the information sold to third parties. Please do not send us sensitive information, such as your credit card or social security numbers, via email.

If there are any issues related to your user account, we may use your name and email address to contact you.

Newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our DocsTeach or National Archives Foundation newsletters, we ask for contact information such as name and email address. We may ask for additional information, such as content preferences. This information is used to contact you about the news for which you have expressed an interest.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

We may collect non-personal identification information about users whenever they interact with our website. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer, and technical information about users’ means of connection to our site, such as the operating system, Internet service provider utilized, and other similar information.

We use the IP address from your Internet connection to analyze trends, administer the site, track users’ movements, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to any personally identifiable information.

Web browser cookies and analytics tools

Our site may use “cookies” to enhance user experience. A user’s web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. Although persistent cookies help us create a better experience for you, most of this website will work without them. You may choose to set your web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent.

This website uses tools (Google Analytics Premium) to collect heatmap, scroll map, and web traffic data to better understand how visitors engage with us. Please refer to the following privacy policies for more information about each tool:


External Links

We provide external links that may contain information of interest to our users. External links do not constitute an endorsement by the NAF or NARA of the opinions, products, or services presented on the external site, or of any sites linked to it. We are not responsible for the legality or accuracy of information on externally linked sites, or for any costs incurred while using externally linked sites.

Disclaimer of Endorsement

Reference to specific commercial businesses, products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, on any web site administered by the NAF or NARA does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the NAF or by NARA.

Copyright, Restrictions, and Permissions

Primary source documents included on this site come from the holdings of the National Archives. Generally, materials produced by federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. However, not all materials appearing on this website are in the public domain. Each primary source is labeled to indicate its copyright and re-use status:

No Copyright

Public Domain - This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. If you use documents or images from this website, we ask that you include the citation provided or credit the National Archives as the source.


In Copyright

  • In Copyright - This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
  • Unknown Rightsholder - This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. However, for this Item, either (a) no rights-holder(s) have been identified or (b) one or more rights-holder(s) have been identified but none have been located. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.


Other

  • Copyright Not Evaluated - The copyright and related rights status of this Item has not been evaluated. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
  • No Known Copyright – We believe that the Item is not restricted by copyright or related rights, but a conclusive determination could not be made. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.

Some materials have been donated or obtained from individuals or organizations and may be subject to restrictions on use. You may consult NARA reference staff for details on specific items; please click through to the National Archives catalog entry from the National Archives Identifier link for specific archival information on any particular item, including the unit in the National Archives where the original item is held. Though we are aware of donor restrictions applicable to our collections, we cannot confirm copyright status for any item. Please note that because we cannot guarantee the status of specific items, you use materials found in our holdings at your own risk. NARA does not claim any rights to the digital reproductions of items in our holdings.

Certain individuals depicted may claim rights in their likenesses and images. Use of photographs or other materials found on this website may be subject to these claims. Anyone who intends to use these materials commercially should contact the individuals depicted or their representatives.

Registered users of this website can save activities and choose to share them with others or keep them private. Shared, or published activities, are available to all logged-in users of the site and receive the CC0 Public Domain Dedication; by sharing or publishing the activity, you waive all copyright and related rights to the extent possible under the law. We may contact authors of shared or published activities to make them available to the general public.

Accessibility

This website is designed to be accessible to visitors with disabilities, and to comply with federal guidelines concerning accessibility. We welcome your comments. If you have suggestions on how to make the site more accessible, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Protecting Your Information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, and data stored on our website. Sensitive and private data exchange between the website and its users happens over a SSL secured communication channel and is encrypted and protected with digital signatures.

Notification of Changes 

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this page so our users are always aware of what information we collect and how we use it. Your continued use of the website after such change is made constitutes acceptance of and agreement to be bound by the terms as modified.


Last updated: May 10, 2016