Transferring Records to Federal Records Centers

After you determine the records series and implement the disposition, you may have records that need to be stored for a period of time.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) manages facilities that store records belonging to federal government agencies. In locations throughout the United States, these federal records centers (FRC) will store temporary and permanent records for periods as short as six months. FRCs also provide other cost-effective services [pdf] such as records retrieval and destruction.

The FRC closest to the NIH campus is the Washington National Records Center (WNRC), located in Suitland, Maryland. You should transfer your office's inactive records to this facility. Transferring the records includes the following steps:

• Preparing Records for Transfer
• Processing Paperwork
• Shipping Records

Although federal government agencies are encouraged to use the FRC that corresponds with their geographical region, they may choose to store their records at a commercial records storage facility. However, the commercial facility must meet NARA’s standards for an agency records storage facility.

National Institutes of Health
Office of Management Assessment | Management Support | Records Management
Last Updated May 16, 2007 | Contact Us