Guide to the Inventory, Scheduling, and Disposition of Federal Records
This guide provides essential information, guidance, and tools necessary for Federal agency records managers to establish, manage, and operate an effective records disposition program within their agencies. It covers the core processes of scheduling: development, implementation, and updating. The guide is organized around these scheduling processes and includes links to related resources, including FAQs, instructional videos, policy documents, and sample forms. If you have any questions related records disposition, please contact your agency's assigned appraisal archivist.
- Introduction
- Elements of a Program
- Basic Objectives
- Program Directive
- Organizational Placement
- Program Responsibility and Objectives
- Staffing and Liaison
- The Role of Outside Agencies
- Program Promotion
- Training
- Developing and Monitoring Recordkeeping Systems
- Cultivating Professional Relationships
- Program Evaluation
- Introduction
- Definition and Purpose
- Link With the Schedule
- Record Series and Information System Concepts
Related Resources
- Word of the Week: Inventory (Video)
- Summer School for Records Coordinators, Records Inventories
- Introduction
- Series Inventory Elements
- Series Inventory Forms (Examples)
- Textual, Electronic, Microform Series Inventory Form | Instructions
- Information System Inventory Form | Instructions
- A/V Series Inventory Form | Instructions
- Objectives
- Agency and NARA Roles
- Guidelines for Evaluating and Scheduling Records
- Inventory Analysis
- Record Values
- General Records Schedules
- Evaluating Records: The Agency's Viewpoint
- Administrative Value
- Fiscal Value
- Legal Value
- Evaluating Records: NARA's Viewpoint
- NARA's Appraisal Responsibility
- NARA's Use of Sampling and Other Selection Techniques
Related Resources
- Understanding General Records Schedules
- Applying General Records Schedules to Agency Records
- Tailoring GRS Items to Fit Agency Records
- Giving Special Care to OPM and GAO Records
- Issuing General Records Schedules Within an Agency
Related Resource
- General Instructions
- Description and Added Information
- Importance of Describing Records Properly
- Need for Additional Information
- Other Considerations in Completing a Schedule
- Importance of Instructions on Record Cutoffs and Transfers
- Media Neutrality
- Extent and Limits of a Schedule's Coverage
- Arranging a Records Schedule
- Organizational Arrangement
- Functional Arrangement
- Other Arrangement Patterns
- Assembling a Draft Records Schedule
Related Resources
- Bucket Scheduling
- Bucket Scheduling and Flexible Retention Periods
- Flexible "Big Bucket' Schedule Crosswalk Template| Instructions
- USPTO Big Buckets Scheduling Workshop (Video)
- Records Scheduling Guides
- Media Neutrality
- Information about ERA (including the ERA Agency User Manual)
- Word of the Week: Records Schedule (Video)
- NARA Bulletin 2015-01: Scheduling Guidance on the Appropriate Age for Legal Transfer of Permanent Records to the National Archives of the United States
- Proposing the Early Legal Transfer of Permanent Records Checklist [PDF]
- NARA Bulletin 2009-02: Managing Records in Multi-agency Environments
The National Archives strongly encourages agencies to use GRS 6.1 (Email Managed Under a Capstone Approach) to provide disposition authority for both permanent and temporary email records. In cases where GRS 6.1 is not appropriate, an agency may request authority to implement a Capstone approach that differs from this GRS by submitting an agency-specific records schedule to NARA. Agencies will need to provide a justification for deviating from the GRS. We encourage agencies to discuss scheduling options with their NARA Appraisal Archivist.
- Introduction
- Preliminary Steps
- General Guidelines
- Issuing the Schedule
- Training Employees
- Applying the Schedule to Permanent Records
- Caring for Permanent Records
- Transferring Permanent Records to the National Archives
- Applying the Schedule to Temporary Records
- Destruction of Temporary Records
- Exceptions to Destruction of Temporary Records
Related Resources
- Agency Permanent Records Guidance and Information
- Transferring Permanent Records to the National Archives
- Guidance and Policy for Accessioning Records to the National Archives in the Washington, DC Area
- Using ERA for the FRC Annual Move (Video)
- Classified Records Transfer Checklist (Video)
- Folder Title List: Transferring Your Permanent Paper Records (Video)
- Access Restrictions: Their Importance and Impact on the Transfer of Permanent Records to NARA (Video)
- Word of the Week: File Plan (Video)
- Creating and Using File Plans (Video)
- File Plan Template
The content of this guide, excluding linked related resources, was revised October 2, 2018.