National Archives searching

AP

Archives Smooths Web Access to Records Wed Dec 14, 5:34 PM ET



WASHINGTON - Photos of natural and manmade disasters. Lists of combat air missions flown during the Vietnam War. Rolls of those who fled Irish famine for the United States in the 1800s.

And much more, all newly accessible.

The National Archives and Records Administration has made it easier to search online through tens of millions of the electronic records it holds.

The revamped Access to Archival Databases site — http://www.archives.gov/aad — allows the public to search for free through 85 million documents in 475 files amassed by more than 30 federal agencies.

The updated site went live on Monday but remains in test mode, said David Kepley, executive assistant to the assistant archivist for record services at the agency. . . .