Records Management Guidance
From the Office of the Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government
The Office of the Chief Records Officer develops guidance on creating, managing, and disposing of Federal records in all media. The office also develops Federal records management standards, with an emphasis on electronic records. You can find additional records management information and resources at the records management website.
Different kinds of records management guidance:
Other Records Management Guidance
Superseded / Cancelled RM Guidance
NARA Bulletins
| Number | Date issued | Title | zRIN | General topic | Summary | Date posted to portal | Status | Date of status change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NARA Bulletin 2005-06 | 08/22/2005 | Additional Requirement for Transferring Permanent Records to the National Archives of the United States Directly from Agencies | Transferring records | Alerts agencies of additional documentation required when transferring records to the National Archives of the United States directly from agencies. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2007-02 | 04/30/2007 | Guidance Concerning the Use of Enterprise Rights Management (ERM) and Other Encryption-Related Software on Federal Records | Encrypted records | Provides guidance on records management implications of using enterprise rights management (ERM) and other software employing encryption technologies. Agencies are prohibited from transferring legal custody to NARA of permanent records with ERM protections and other encryption-related software enabled on the records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2008-06 | 08/25/2008 | Records Storage Facility Standards | Records storage facilities | Reminds agencies of guidance on obligation to ensure that agency records centers, agency records staging or holding areas, and commercial records storage facilities used to store agency records meet NARA's records storage facility standards in 36 CFR 1234. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2008-07 | 09/10/2008 | Endorsement of DoD Electronic Records Management Software Applications Design Criteria Standard, version 3 | Electronic recordkeeping systems | Advises agencies that NARA endorses version 3 of the Department of Defense (DoD) Electronic Records Management Software Application (RMA) Design Criteria Standard (DoD 5015.2-STD, April 2007) for use by all Federal agencies. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2009-03 | 07/30/2009 | Pre-accessioning Permanent Electronic Records | Transferring records | Defines pre-accessioning of electronic records with archival value and describes the criteria for determining when pre-accessioning is appropriate. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2010-02 | 02/05/2010 | Continuing Agency Responsibilities for Scheduling Electronic Records | Scheduling records | Reminds agencies of guidance on their continuing responsibility to schedule all agency electronic records series and electronic systems, including website content records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2010-03 | 05/03/2010 | Flexible Scheduling | Scheduling records | Announces additional guidance to agencies that want to create flexible "big bucket" or large aggregation schedules for their records or wish to use flexible retention periods. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2010-04 | 09/10/2010 | Guidance Concerning Notifications for Previously Scheduled Permanent Records | Scheduling records | Addresses using notifications when an agency implements electronic recordkeeping for records covered by a previously approved permanent schedule item. Also provides guidance about disposing of original hard-copy records that have been converted to an electronic format (e.g., by scanning). | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2010-05 | 09/08/2010 | Guidance on Managing Records in Cloud Computing Environments | Cloud computing records | Addresses records management considerations in cloud computing environments. Specifically, it contains Federal agency examples of cloud computing, records management guidelines, and contract language to consider when procuring cloud computing services. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2011-03 | 12/22/2010 | Guidance Concerning the Use of E-mail Archiving Applications to Store E-mail | Electronic messages | Provides guidance on using email archiving applications to store email. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2011-04 | 07/18/2011 | Guidance on Managing Mixed-Media Files | Mixed media records | Outlines the records management implications and considerations when records in various types of media are intermixed in one file. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2012-02 | 12/06/2011 | Guidance on Managing Content on Shared Drives | Shared drives | Outlines the records management implications and challenges, agency responsibilities, and benefits of organizing and managing content stored on shared drives. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2013-02 | 08/29/2013 | Guidance on a New Approach to Managing Email Records | Electronic messages | Provides agencies with a new records management approach, known as “Capstone,” for managing their Federal record emails electronically. Discusses the considerations that agencies should review if they choose to implement the Capstone approach to manage their email records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2013-03 | 09/09/2013 | Guidance for Agency Employees on the Management of Federal Records, Including Email Accounts, and the Protection of Federal Records from Unauthorized Removal | Electronic messages | Renews guidance that agencies and agency employees must manage Federal records appropriately and protect them from unauthorized removal from agency custody. Also, clarifies records management responsibilities regarding the use of personal email accounts for official business and the use of more than one Federal email account. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2014-02 | 10/25/2013 | Guidance on Managing Social Media Records | Social media records | Provides high-level record-keeping requirements and best practices for capturing records created when Federal agencies use social media. Using social media may create Federal records that agencies must capture and manage in compliance with Federal records management laws, regulations, and policies. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2014-04 | 01/31/2014 | Format Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records | Permanent record formats | Specifies which file formats are acceptable when transferring permanent electronic records to NARA. Includes an appendix that (as established in NARA Bulletin 2018-01) will be updated to include acceptable formats and reflect the continual format changes in how agencies create and use electronic records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2014-05 | 09/25/2014 | Guidance on NARA-Created Transfer Request | Transferring records | Establishes time period for agencies to take action on NARA-created Transfer Requests in the Electronic Records Archives (ERA TRs). Also establishes time period for agencies to take action on any NARA-created Standard Forms 258, Agreement to Transfer Records to the National Archives of the United States (SFs 258), not yet been submitted to NARA. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2014-06 | 09/15/2014 | Guidance on Managing Email | Electronic messages | Reminds about agency records management responsibilities regarding email in light of the requirement in the Managing Government Records Directive (OMB M-12-18) for all email to be managed electronically by December 31, 2016. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2015-02 | 07/29/2015 | Guidance on Managing Electronic Messages | Electronic messages | Provides records management guidance for electronic messages. Specifically, applies to text messaging, chat/instant messaging, messaging functionality in social media tools or applications, voice messaging, and similar forms of electronic messaging systems. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2015-03 | 08/11/2015 | Guidance on Managing Digital Identity Authentication Records | Encrypted records | Provides guidance on managing digital identity authentication-related transactional records, such as digital certificates and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) files, created or used in the course of agency business that will eventually be transferred to the National Archives. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2015-04 | 09/15/2015 | Metadata Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records | Transferring records | Defines the minimum set of metadata elements that must accompany transfers of permanent electronic records to the National Archives in accordance with requirements in 36 CFR 1235.48. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2016-01 | 11/05/2015 | Guidance on NARA Bulletin Expiration Dates | Administrative | Describes how NARA will indicate the expiration of its Bulletins and informs agencies that NARA Bulletins will be in effect until revoked or superseded by NARA. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2017-01 | 11/29/2016 | Agency Records Management Training Requirements | Training | Provides minimum requirements for agency records management training programs. Identifies who must take records management training and how often this training must be provided. Supplements the general training requirements outlined in 36 CFR 1220.34. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2017-02 | 09/28/2017 | Guidance on Senior Agency Officials for Records Management (SAORM) | Agency roles | Clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the Senior Agency Official for Records Management (SAORM), and outlines how departments and agencies designate their SAORMs and agency records officers. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2018-01 | 08/30/2018 | Updating NARA Bulletin 2014-04, Format Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records | Transferring records | Updates NARA Bulletin 2014-04 by adding mechanism for NARA to update the bulletin appendix on an as-needed basis (adding new formats and removing obsolete formats). | 02/19/2020 | Updates NARA Bulletin 2014-04 | 08/30/2018 | |
| NARA Bulletin 2019-01 | 05/09/2019 | Revoked NARA Bulletins | Administrative | Revokes two Bulletins that are no longer in effect. | 02/19/2020 | Revokes Bulletins 2006-03 and 2006-04 | 05/09/2019 | |
| NARA Bulletin 2019-02 | 09/25/2019 | Agency Records Officer Credential Training and Renewal Policy | Training | Describes the replacement of NARA’s Certificate of Federal Records Management Training with the Agency Records Officer Credential (AROC) and establishes the requirement for Agency Records Officers to periodically renew the credential. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2020-01 | 09/30/2020 | Guidance on OMB/NARA Memorandum Transition to Electronic Records (M-19-21) | Transition to electronic records | Provides further guidance supporting Federal agencies' efforts to transition to fully electronic recordkeeping as outlined in the jointly-issued OMB/NARA memorandum M-19-21. | 09/30/2020 | |||
| NARA Bulletin 2020-02 | 09/30/2020 | Guidance on Scheduling the Early and Late Transfer of Permanent Records | Scheduling records | Provides guidance on scheduling permanent records with retention periods less than 15 years or more than 30 years. | 09/30/2020 | Supersedes NARA Bulletin 2015-01 | 9/30/2020 |
Records Management FAQs
| Number | Date issued | Title | zRIN | General topic | Summary | Date posted to portal | Status | Date of status change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NARA RM FAQs 01 | Date unknown | FAQs about Irradiated Mail | Records recovery | Answers questions about how and when irradiated mail should be managed as a record. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 02 | <2007 | FAQs about Instant Messaging | Electronic messages | Answers questions about instant messaging. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 03 | Date unknown | FAQs about Records Schedules | Records schedules | Answers agency records officer questions about records schedules. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2007-01 | 08/28/2007 | FAQs about Selecting Sustainable Formats for Electronic Records | Transferring records | Answers questions about records management responsibilities when selecting and implementing formats for long-term electronic records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2007-02 | 09/01/2007 | NARA's Appraisal Policy | Appraising records | Answers questions about the strategic framework, objectives, and guidelines that NARA uses to determine whether Federal records have archival value, and provides more specific guidelines for appraising certain categories of records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2008-01 | 03/19/2008 | FAQs about Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) Recordkeeping | FDMS records | Answers questions about managing records contained in the Federal Docket Management System. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2010-01 | 05/03/2010 | FAQs about Flexible Scheduling | Scheduling records | Answers questions about how to schedule records based on either aggregation of records or retention periods. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2010-02 | 08/04/2010 | FAQs about Media Neutral Schedule Items | Records schedules | Answers questions from agency records officers about media-neutral schedules. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2010-03 | 12/01/2010 | FAQs about Changes to Previously Approved Schedule Items | Scheduling records | Answers questions from agency records officers about "pen-and-ink" changes, which we use to update previously approved schedule items with minor administrative corrections without submitting a new records schedule. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2011-01 | 06/06/2011 | FAQs about Telework | Telework records management | Answers questions from Federal employees about general records management responsibilities they must follow when teleworking. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2015-01 | 07/07/2015 | FAQs about Federal Records Management | Federal records management | Answers questions about basic Federal records management. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2017-01 | 07/01/2017 | FAQs about Transitory Records in Electronic Messages | Electronic messages | Answers questions about electronic messages that are considered transitory records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2017-02 | 08/01/2017 | FAQs about GRS 6.1 Email Managed under a Capstone Approach | Electronic messages | Answers questions about electronic messages that are managed under a Capstone approach and fall within the description given in the GRS. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2019-01 | 04/12/2019 | FAQs about NARA's Digitization Regulation | Digitizing records | Answers questions about the regulation for digitizing temporary records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2019-02 | 12/01/2019 | FAQs for Individual GRS Schedules | General Records Schedule | Answers questions about individual GRS schedules and the items they include. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2019-03 | 12/01/2019 | FAQs about the General Records Schedules | General Records Schedule | Answers general questions about the GRS. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM FAQs 2020-01 | 10/16/2020 | FAQs about Records Management during the COVID-19 pandemic | COVID-19 | Answers several questions about Federal records management and the COVID-19 pandemic, including answers to questions about telework, conferencing tools, scheduling records, and using the General Records Schedule (GRS). | 10/16/2020 |
Other Records Management Guidance
| Number | Date issued | Title | zRIN | General topic | Summary | Date posted to portal | Status | Date of status change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NARA RM Gdc 2017-03-21 | 03/21/2017 | Records Management Language for Contracts | Contract language | Sets out records management language to include as an agency-specific term and condition in Federal contracts for a variety of services and products. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Gdc 2017-07-05 | 07/05/2017 | Why does NARA ask for additional metadata for email records? | Transferring records | Provides guidance about the additional metadata agencies should provide for permanent email records. [blog post on Records Express] | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA ERM Reqts 2017 | 08/04/2017 | Universal Electronic Records Management Requirements | Electronic recordkeeping systems | Gathers into spreadsheets the electronic records management program requirements derived from existing statutes, standards, NARA regulations, policy, and guidance. Starting point for agencies to use when developing system requirements. Records management staff should work with acquisitions and IT personnel to tailor any final system requirements. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Gdc 2017-11-06 | 11/06/2017 | Metadata Requirements for Permanent Electronic Records in the Cloud | Transferring records | Provides guidance about metadata requirements for permanent records agencies create, manage, or store in the cloud. [blog post on Records Express] | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Gdc 2017-12-04 | 12/04/2017 | Metadata Requirements for Permanent Records on Shared Drives | Transferring records | Provides guidance about metadata requirements for permanent records agencies create, manage, or store in shared drives. [blog post on Records Express] | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Gdc 2018-05-23 | 05/23/2018 | Email System Features and Records Management | Electronic messages | Provides information about the requirement to ensure new email features such as "confidential mode" are not enabled until the agency has ensured the feature complies with records management regulations and guidance. [blog post on Records Express] | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Gdc 2018-05-31 | 05/31/2018 | Managing Metadata for Permanent Records: What if the metadata required for transferring permanent records are stored separately from the records themselves? | Transferring records | Provides information on requirements to capture and manage metadata throughout records' lifecycle and to accompany records with their metadata at the time agencies transfer the records to NARA. [blog post on Records Express] | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Gdc 2018-09-27 | 09/27/2018 | Requesting Authority to Destroy Contaminated Records Constituting a Menace to Health, Life, or Property under Specific Conditions | Records recovery | Provides guidance on contacting NARA to request approval to destroy contaminated records in accordance with 36 CFR 1229. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Gdc 2005-01-01 | 01/01/2005 | NARA Guidance on Managing Web Records | Web records | Provides guidance on managing web records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Criteria 2016 | 04/06/2016 | Criteria for Managing Email Records in Compliance with the Managing Government Records Direct (M-12-18) | Electronic messages | Describes existing records management requirements in statutes, regulations, and NARA guidance that apply to email records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Criteria 2018 | 03/16/2018 | Criteria for Successfully Managing Permanent Electronic Records | Permanent electronic records | Outlines criteria for managing permanent electronic records successfully to comply with OMB M-12-18's requirements for agencies to manage all electronic permanent records electronically by December 31, 2019. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA RM Essential Guide 2018 | 08/01/2018 | Essential Records Guide | Essential records | Provides guidance on identifying, protecting, and recovering essential records. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Scheduling Guide 2018 | 10/02/2018 | Guide to the Inventory, Scheduling, and Disposition of Federal Records | Scheduling records | Provides guidance on records scheduling. Describes NARA's scheduling process, including developing, implementing, and updating records schedules. Includes links to related resources. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| NARA Scheduling Guide 2016 | 10/01/2016 | Public Affairs Records Scheduling Guide | Scheduling records | Provides information about scheduling and appraising records related to public affairs activities. | 02/19/2020 | |||
| OMB M-19-21 | 06/28/2019 | Transition to Electronic Records | Electronic records | Directs agencies to ensure that they create, retain, and manage all records in electronic formats with appropriate metadata by December 31, 2021, to develop plans to close agency-operated storage facilities for non-electronic records, and provides additional details and guidance relating to these requirements. | 02/19/2020 |