99-22619. Records Schedules for Electronic Copies Previously Covered by General Records Schedule 20; Availability and Request for Comments

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 168 (Tuesday, August 31, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47529-47530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22619]


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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION


Records Schedules for Electronic Copies Previously Covered by 
General Records Schedule 20; Availability and Request for Comments

AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Records 
Services--Washington, DC.

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed records schedules; request 
for comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 
publishes notice at least once monthly of certain Federal agency 
requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). Once 
approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory instructions on 
what happens to records when no longer needed for current Government 
business. They authorize the preservation of records of continuing 
value in the National Archives of the United States and the 
destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking 
administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is published 
for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not 
previously authorized for disposal or reduce the retention period of 
records already authorized for disposal.
    This request for comments pertains solely to schedules for 
electronic copies of records created using word processing and 
electronic mail where the recordkeeping copies are already scheduled. 
(Electronic copies are records created using word processing or 
electronic mail software that remain in storage on the computer system 
after the recordkeeping copies are produced.)
    These records were previously approved for disposal under General 
Records Schedule 20, Items 13 and 14. Pursuant to NARA Bulletin 99-04, 
agencies must submit schedules for the electronic copies associated 
with program records and administrative records not covered by the 
General Records Schedules. NARA invites public comments on such records 
schedules, as required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a). To facilitate review of 
these schedules, their availability for comment is announced in Federal 
Register notices separate from those used for other records disposition 
schedules.

DATES: Requests for copies must be received in writing on or before 
October 15, 1999. On request, NARA will send a copy of the schedule. 
NARA staff usually prepare appraisal memorandums concerning a proposed 
schedule. These, too, may be requested. Requesters will be given 30 
days to submit comments.
    Some schedules submitted in accordance with NARA Bulletin 99-04 
group records by program, function, or organizational element. These 
schedules do not include descriptions at the file series level, but, 
instead, provide citations to previously approved schedules or agency 
records disposition manuals (see Supplementary Information section of 
this notice). To facilitate review of such disposition requests, 
previously approved sched-ules or manuals that are cited may be 
requested in addition to schedules for the electronic copies. NARA will 
provide the first 100 pages at no cost. NARA may charge $.20 per page 
for additional copies. These materials also may be examined at no cost 
at the National Archives at College Park (8601 Adelphi Road, College 
Park, MD).

ADDRESSES: To request a copy of any records schedule identified in this 
notice, write to the Life Cycle Management Division (NWML), National 
Archives and Records Administration (NARA), 8601 Adelphi Road, College 
Park, MD 20740-6001. Requests also may be transmitted by FAX to 301-
713-6852 or by e-mail to [e-mail].
    Requesters must cite the control number, which appears in 
parentheses after the name of the agency which submitted the schedule, 
and must provide a mailing address. Those who desire appraisal reports 
and/or copies of previously approved schedules or manuals should so 
indicate in their request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marie Allen, Director, Life Cycle 
Management Division (NWML), National Archives and Records 
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. 
Telephone: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year Federal agencies create billions 
of records on paper, film, magnetic tape, and other media. To control 
this accumulation, agency records managers prepare schedules proposing 
retention periods for records and submit these schedules for NARA 
approval, using the Standard Form (SF) 115, Request for Records 
Disposition Authority. These schedules provide for the timely transfer 
into the National Archives of historically valuable records and 
authorize the disposal of all other records after the agency no longer 
needs the records to conduct its business.

[[Page 47530]]

Routine administrative records common to most agencies are approved for 
disposal in the General Records Schedules (GRS), which are disposition 
schedules issued by NARA that apply Government-wide.
    In the past, NARA approved the disposal of electronic copies of 
records created using electronic mail and word processing via General 
Records Schedule 20, Items 13 (word processing documents) and 14 
(electronic mail). However, NARA has determined that a different 
approach to the disposition of electronic copies is needed. In 1998, 
the Archivist of the United States established an interagency 
Electronic Records Work Group to address this issue and pursuant to its 
recommendations, decided that agencies must submit schedules for the 
electronic copies of program records and administrative records not 
covered by the GRS. On March 25, 1999, the Archivist issued NARA 
Bulletin 99-04, which tells agencies what they must do to schedule 
electronic copies associated with previously scheduled program records 
and certain administrative records that were previously scheduled under 
GRS 20, Items 13 and 14.
    Schedules submitted in accordance with NARA Bulletin 99-04 only 
cover the electronic copies associated with previously scheduled 
series. Agencies that wish to schedule hitherto unscheduled series must 
submit separate SF 115s that cover both recordkeeping copies and 
electronic copies used to create them.
    In developing SF 115s for the electronic copies of scheduled 
records, agencies may use either of two scheduling models. They may add 
an appropriate disposition for the electronic copies formerly covered 
by GRS 20, Items 13 and 14, to every item in their manuals or records 
schedules where the recordkeeping copy has been created with a word 
processing or electronic mail application. This approach is described 
as Model 1 in Bulletin 99-04. Alternatively, agencies may group records 
by program, function, or organizational component and propose 
disposition instructions for the electronic copies associated with each 
grouping. This approach is described as Model 2 in the Bulletin. 
Schedules that follow Model 2 do not describe records at the series 
level.
    For each schedule covered by this notice the following information 
is provided: Name of the Federal agency and any subdivisions requesting 
disposition authority; the organizational unit(s) accumulating the 
records or a statement that the schedule has agency-wide applicability 
in the case of schedules that cover records that may be accumulated 
throughout an agency; the control number assigned to each schedule; the 
total number of schedule items; the number of temporary items (the 
record series proposed for destruction); a brief description of the 
temporary electronic copies; and citations to previously approved SF 
115s or printed disposition manuals that scheduled the recordkeeping 
copies associated with the electronic copies covered by the pending 
schedule. If a cited manual or schedule is available from the 
Government Printing Office or has been posted to a publicly available 
Web site, this too is noted.
    Further information about the disposition process is available on 
request.

Schedules Pending

    1. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General (N9-174-99-
2, 2 items, 2 temporary items). Electronic copies of records created 
using electronic mail and word processing that relate to investigations 
of labor racketeering. This schedule follows Model 1 as described in 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. Recordkeeping 
copies of these files are included in Disposition Job No. N1-174-93-1.
    2. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General (N9-174-99-
3, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Electronic copies of records created 
using electronic mail and word processing that relate to the Semiannual 
Report to Congress prepared by the Office of the Inspector General. 
This schedule follows Model 1 as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this notice. Recordkeeping copies of these files 
are included in Disposition Job No. N1-174-96-2.

    Dated: August 24, 1999.
Geraldine Phillips,
Acting Assistant Archivist for Record Services--Washington, DC.
[FR Doc. 99-22619 Filed 8-30-99; 8:45 am]
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