Expiration Date Bulletin Released

We have released NARA Bulletin 2016-01: Guidance on NARA Bulletin Expiration Dates. This administrative bulletin announces a change to our policy regarding the expiration date of bulletins.

Every bulletin used to have an expiration date of three years. We would regularly review the bulletins to determine whether the policies were still relevant, accurate, and useful. Then, we would issue an annual bulletin stating which ones were still in effect. This caused confusion regarding the status of our bulletins.

Now, our bulletins will no longer have specific expiration dates, unless there is a valid reason based on the content. Bulletins will say “Expires when revoked or superseded.”

We have updated the expiration date on all bulletins that are still in effect to reflect this new policy. These changes can be seen on our bulletins page. Several bulletins had been superseded and we have moved those to the Past NARA Bulletins section of our website. We will continue to regularly review bulletins to ensure their accuracy and usefulness.