Federal Records Management

NARA Roles in Records Recovery, Records Emergency Disposal, and Information Security

NARA has information available to assist Federal records managers in preparing for, responding to and recovering from an emergency. Below is some relevant information and links to further resources:

  1. RECORDS RECOVERY - NARA's Preservation Services provides information on their website to assist Federal records managers in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from an emergency. Preservation staff members are available to provide additional guidance to Federal agencies via your agency’s assigned NARA appraisal archivist.

  2. RECORDS EMERGENCY DISPOSAL - Before agencies destroy contaminated records, NARA approval must be obtained. For more details on this process, see NARA's information about emergency disposal.

  3. UNAUTHORIZED DISPOSAL OF RECORDS - Federal agencies are required to notify the Archivist of the United States of any unauthorized disposal of records in the custody of the agency. For more details about this process, see NARA’s Information about unauthorized disposal or removal of Federal records.

  4. INFORMATION SECURITY - For advice and assistance on issues concerning classified national security information, please contact the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO): 202-357-5250 or via email at ISOO@nara.gov.

  5. ESSENTIAL RECORDS GUIDE - The management of essential records is part of every Federal agency's emergency preparedness responsibility. The Essential Records Guide (revised August, 2018) addresses the identification and protection of records containing information that Federal agencies may need to conduct business under emergency operating conditions or to protect the legal and financial rights of the Federal Government and the people it serves.
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