We have recently published three new materials to help agencies in advance of the upcoming transition of administrations. Two of the products are targeted at political appointees, a video briefing and 1-page handout. Each are titled “Records Management Guidance for Political Appointees” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxyB6M_XdDI&index This video features an introduction from the Archivist of the United States … Continue reading New Transition Related Materials
FOIA Improvement Act of 2016
President Barack Obama signed into law the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 last week. This law codifies many of the Administration’s openness policies and initiatives into the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and advances open government. It also highlights the importance of NARA’s Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) to the FOIA process. Follow OGIS’s … Continue reading FOIA Improvement Act of 2016
First Approvals to Use Capstone GRS
We are pleased to announce the first two agencies approved to use General Records Schedule (GRS) 6.1 for email managed under a Capstone approach are the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the National Security Agency (NSA). Goal 1.2 of the Managing Government Records Directive (M-12-18) (.pdf) requires all agencies to manage permanent and temporary … Continue reading First Approvals to Use Capstone GRS
Issues for Federal Agency Counsel Course Offering
We will offer The Case for Records Management: Issues for Federal Agency Counsel at Archives I in Washington, DC on June 1, 2016. Why attend? Legal professionals know when business-critical information is missing or inaccessible, an agency risks damage to its reputation, failure to perform its mission, and expensive litigation. This half-day briefing by National Archives and Records … Continue reading Issues for Federal Agency Counsel Course Offering
New Chief Records Officer Named
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Laurence Brewer as the new Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government effective May 1, 2016. Laurence has been acting in this role since Paul Wester’s departure in October 2015. Since joining NARA in 1999, Laurence has held a number of positions in our records management program working … Continue reading New Chief Records Officer Named
Instructions and template for big bucket crosswalks
In the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Flexible Scheduling, NARA states that agencies must create a crosswalk when preparing records schedules with big bucket schedule items. We are now providing a crosswalk template (.xls) and instructions (.pdf) that agencies may use for this purpose. Agencies are not required to use the template, although it is recommended … Continue reading Instructions and template for big bucket crosswalks
Criteria for Managing Email Records
We are pleased to announce the publication of the Criteria for Managing Email Records in Compliance with the Managing Government Records Directive (M-12-18). The criteria was developed to provide clarification of the existing requirements directly related to email management. It is a synthesis of the statutory, regulatory, and NARA guidance requirements. Agencies should use this … Continue reading Criteria for Managing Email Records
Proposed Rules for Records Management Regulations
We are pleased to announce that we have submitted proposed rules affecting records management regulations to the Office of the Federal Register. We are proposing these regulation changes to reflect the Managing Government Records Directive and updates to the Federal Records Act. We also want to account for changes in technology, practice, and NARA’s organization … Continue reading Proposed Rules for Records Management Regulations
What is the relationship between NARA’s Metadata and Format Guidance?
During the last two years, we published both NARA Bulletin 2015-04: Metadata Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records and NARA Bulletin 2014-04: Revised Format Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records. These Bulletins are related and complement each other. Following this guidance ensures permanent electronic records transferred to NARA will remain sustainable for as … Continue reading What is the relationship between NARA’s Metadata and Format Guidance?
Open Government: 2015 Senior Agency Official (SAO) Reports
This week is Sunshine Week - the time of year when we celebrate openness and transparency in the Government. Towards that goal, NARA has committed to posting the 2015 Senior Agency Official for Records Management (SAO) reports online. It is our expectation that we will have every agency’s report available on our web site. On a related … Continue reading Open Government: 2015 Senior Agency Official (SAO) Reports