Long ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to grab a day or so at the Archives, just not as often as I wanted or needed. Of course, this snatch and grab approach only served to convince me that I would need a different strategy if I was ever to make a dent in accessing all that I desired from the unpublished information.
Since then, hiring a private researcher or two has allowed me to obtain bits and pieces of this material. But, this method will soon put a strain on the Piggy Bank of retired folks.
The recent availability of the microfilm of the Alexander Papers provided a much more convenient solution to access this wonderful treasure trove of Trans Mississippi related information.
So, the question is: can we ever realistically hope that more of the National Archive unpublished material will become more practical to access?