NARA Bulletin 2004-03
September 23, 2004
TO: Heads of Federal agencies
SUBJECT: Recommended Practice - Obtaining internal agency assurances for proposed dispositions for temporary records that protect legal rights and assure accountability
EXPIRATION DATE: September 30, 2006
1. What is the purpose of this bulletin? This bulletin transmits a Records Management Recommended Practice Guidance Document to Federal agencies to assist with scheduling temporary records. The guidance is also available at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2004/bulletin-2004-03a.html.
2. What does the Records Management Recommended Practice Guidance Document address? Many agencies include the concurrence of program and legal staff on the Standard Form (SF) 115, Request for Records Disposition Authority, which is submitted to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) when scheduling records. The concurrence is done to document the process for determining that proposed retentions meet statutory requirements and support agency business needs, including the need to mitigate risks to the agency. This bulletin recommends this practice to all agencies and conveys information on the different ways and times that agencies may obtain appropriate internal agency assurances for temporary Federal records that protect legal rights and document government accountability prior to submitting an SF 115 to NARA for approval. The goal of agency assurances is to provide a means for agencies to take reasonable measures to protect rights and assure accountability.
3. Is further information available? For additional information on agency assurances and the scheduling process, contact the NARA appraiser or records analyst with whom your agency normally works. A list of the appraisal and scheduling work groups is posted on the NARA web site at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/policy/appraisal/index.html . The Records Management staff in NARA's regional offices can also provide assistance. A complete list of NARA regional facilities may be found at http://www.archives.gov/facilities/index.html .
JOHN W. CARLIN
Archivist of the United States
