GIFs

from

.Gov

RecordsAnimated GIFs from National Archives Holdings

Darren A. Cole

Office of Innovation, National Archives and Records Administration

Why GIFs?

● Engaging; make Gov. records

relevant

● Easy to access: no plugin req.;

fast download & autoplay

● Highlight longer footage

Today’s Document GIFstodaysdocument.tumblr.com

Highlighting National Archives

Holdings through:

● Historical Events

● Anniversaries

● Holidays

● Celebrations

Marines raise flag over Iwo Jima, 1945

Motion Picture Films from “United News” Newsreels, 1942 -

1945

(3900+ notes on Tumblr)

Cons:

● No sound

● Accessibility Issues

● Not supported on all platforms

(Facebook)

National Archives

Holdings & Sources:

NARA Holdings

● Free

● Federal Government

Records

● Public Domain (mostly*)

● Available at:

catalog.archives.gov

Woodsy Owl* Public Service Announcement Collection,

ca. 1965 - ca. 1985

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/13463

Variety of Agency Sources, incl:

● Forest Service

● Dept. of Defense

● Dept. of Interior

● NASA

● Donated Materials*

Types of Films:

● Newsreels

● World War II footage

● Training & Educational Films

● PSAs & Documentaries

Three Types of GIFs:

Motion Pictures, Photo Series, & Illustrations/Images

The Eagle Has

Landed,

The Flight of

Apollo 11

Space GIFs are always popular

Cartoons Make Great GIFs: minimal

movement, simple lines, & static backgrounds

“Private SNAFU V.

Malaria Mike,

1944”

Records of the Office of the

Chief Signal Officer

“Right on the

Button”

(IRS)

Easy loop of vintage computing equipment

“Pleasure of

Your

Company,1970”

Records of the Office of the

Secretary of Defense

Not all Government Films are Boring Bureaucrats

Dancing WAC from an Army Etiquette Training Film

“Dance stars lead

dog’s life!”

Universal News

Vol 3, Release 7,

Jan 19, 1931

Newsreels from Universal News 1929-1967

(donated)

News of the day, fun slice-of-life snapshots, historic

events, celebrities, etc.

“Hat Fashions”

Universal

Newsreel Vol 29,

#79, 09/27/1956

Quirky vintage fashion shows

“GYRO” FLIES TO

CAPITAL!

12/19/1928

Gyrocopters in the news?

Richard Nixon

meeting with Elvis

Presley.

12/21/1970.

Courtesy

OurPresidents.tumblr.com

Photo Series to GIF:

Can be easier than Video-to-GIF, with the

right series of photos

“YOUNGSTER

UNKNOWINGLY

SHARES AN ICE

CREAM STICK WITH A

DOG…”

(EPA’s Documerica

series)

Photo Series:

You can make a GIF with only 2 Photos

Photo Series to GIF (Stereographs)

Stereographs from various geological surveys & Mathew Brady Photos

(See also NYPL’s Stereogranimator tool: stereo.nypl.org)

Cascade of Middle Creek. Gallatin

County, Montana, 1872Walt Whitman, ca. 1860 - ca. 1865

Patent Drawing for J. O.

Lose’s One Wheeled Vehicle,

09/01/1885

Illustration to GIF: Patent Drawings work well for GIFs with

clean lines and plain backgrounds.

Illustration to GIF:

Vintage Posters work well with simple shapes & bold colors

“Can All You Can Its a

Real War Job!”

from the World War II

Posters series

Illustration-to-GIF: Easy beginner-level GIFs by simply

removing elements or adding color

Thomas A. Edison’s Patent for An Improvement

in Electric Lamps, 1/27/1880

Elevation and Plan of Execution Rocks Lighthouse,

New York, 1849

3rd Party GIFs with NARA Items &

Other GIF Resources:

● NYPL Labs Stereogranimator

http://stereo.nypl.org/

● LIBRARY HACKS: CREATING ANIMATED GIFS

http://blog.library.si.edu/2014/02/library-hacks-creating-animated-gifs/

● DPLA’s GIF IT UP

http://dp.la/info/gif-it-up/

WAC mechanics servicing bombers, submitted by

DPLA GIFITUP contestant

Abraham Lincoln GIF from Mathew

Brady Photos,

By: retrocampaigns.tumblr.com

Ernest knows you

can do it!

Make your own .gov

GIFs with free, public

domain sources from

the National Archives:

catalog.archives.gov

Cheers!

(Ernest Hemingway excerpted from:

“D-Day to Germany, 1944”)

Sample sources:

● Utility Patent Drawings: catalog.archives.gov/id/305888

● World War II Posters: catalog.archives.gov/id/513498

● Universal Newsreels: catalog.archives.gov/id/100520

● Navy Motion Picture Series: catalog.archives.gov/id/75284

More GIF Ideas from Today’s Document: todaysdocument.tumblr.com/gif