2015 RMSA Released

We are pleased to announce that the 2015 Records Management-Self Assessment (RMSA) report has been posted to our website (.pdf). In FY 2015, all 260 agencies that received the RMSA completed the self-assessment. This includes all Cabinet-level department records officers, departmental components, and independent agencies. Laurence Brewer, Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government, said, "This … Continue reading 2015 RMSA Released

New Transition Related Materials

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

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

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

Documenting Your Public Service

We are pleased to publish an update to Documenting Your Public Service. This guide provides information describing the responsibilities all government employees must follow for managing federal records. It is important for agencies to ensure employees are aware of their records management responsibilities, especially as we approach the upcoming Presidential transition. We will be developing … Continue reading Documenting Your Public Service

Making Use of GRS Crosswalks

The following post is from the GRS Team. New schedules published in General Records Schedule (GRS) Transmittals are not one-to-one replacements of old schedules.  Crosswalks provide temporary bridges to help agencies understand what has changed in the GRS and how to convert superseded authorities to new authorities.  Once the new GRS is completed and in place … Continue reading Making Use of GRS Crosswalks

Widespread Flooding May Threaten Records

Once again nature is threatening large parts of the country. This time large areas, including the Midwest and California but other areas as well, are experiencing unprecedented flooding.  We remind Agency Records Officers that NARA posts records emergency information and other useful guidance in order for them to pass along this information to other agency … Continue reading Widespread Flooding May Threaten Records