FAQ: Records Management During COVID-19 Pandemic

We have received several questions about managing Federal records during the COVID-19 pandemic, including questions about scheduling records and using the General Records Schedule (GRS).  We have collected these questions and responses in a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.  The FAQ has been posted to our website here.  If you have additional questions or require … Continue reading FAQ: Records Management During COVID-19 Pandemic

Release of Universal Electronic Records Management Requirements, Version 2

We are pleased to announce the release of the Universal Electronic Records Management (ERM) Requirements, Version 2 as part of our Federal Electronic Records Modernization Initiative (FERMI). Through this initiative, we have been working to improve the way agencies acquire ERM services and solutions. We first released the Universal ERM Requirements in August 2017. We … Continue reading Release of Universal Electronic Records Management Requirements, Version 2

Current Operating Status

During the current public health national emergency, the Office of the Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government remains ‘virtually’ open. All staff are 100% teleworking and our office is available to respond to questions or concerns. If you are unsure who to contact, our website contains a list of various email addresses. While we are … Continue reading Current Operating Status

Further Information on ICE Schedules in the News

There have been many stories in the news about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records and when these records will be eligible for destruction. Some of the more recent stories raise concerns about a three-year retention for “detainees’ complaints about civil rights violations and shoddy medical care.”  Any member of the public, including detainees in … Continue reading Further Information on ICE Schedules in the News

GRS uploaded to Data.Gov

We have posted searchable and manipulable versions of the General Records Schedules (GRS) in comma-separated value (.csv) format to test the usefulness of records schedule data in this format. The files contain the raw data, minus personally identifiable information (PII), exported from the Electronic Records Archives (ERA). The data files along with a data dictionary … Continue reading GRS uploaded to Data.Gov

Federal Records Officers Network (FRON)

The following is a guest post from the leaders of the Federal Records Officer Network. Established in 2013, the Federal Records Officers Network (FRON) is a community of federal records officers and professionals. The FRON was designed to provide an in-person and virtual forum to discuss common federal Records Management (RM) information and experiences. The … Continue reading Federal Records Officers Network (FRON)

Annual Reporting Period Opens

Today we open our annual records management reporting period. This year’s reporting period covers activities in 2019 and runs until March 13, 2020. Agencies should have already received additional communications with full details and instructions from our office. This year, we are asking agencies to report on the following: Records Management Self-Assessment (RMSA) and Federal Electronic … Continue reading Annual Reporting Period Opens

Federal Data Strategy 2020 Action Plan

We are pleased to announce the Federal Data Strategy 2020 Action Plan has been released! The Federal Records Act governs the lifecycle of data when created and used in the same context of a Federal record. As such, NARA is engaged with the Federal Data Strategy Team to ensure records management is considered where applicable … Continue reading Federal Data Strategy 2020 Action Plan

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Scheduled Approved

On December 11, 2019, the Archivist of the United States approved a request for disposition authority from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for Detainee Records (schedule DAA-0567-2015-0013). This schedule was originally proposed to NARA on October 26, 2015. NARA published notice of the pending schedule in the Federal Register on July 14, 2017. … Continue reading Immigration and Customs Enforcement Scheduled Approved