NARA Bulletin 2008-03

March 6, 2008

ATTENTION! This page has been superseded. The information listed 

below is no longer accurate. For NARA's current guidance please visit 

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2010/2010-02.html. 

Please note that this page is available only as a technical and historical 

reference. 

TO: Heads of Federal agencies

SUBJECT:Scheduling existing electronic records (NARA Bulletin 2006-02)

EXPIRATION DATE: October 1, 2009

1. What is the purpose of this bulletin? This bulletin reminds Federal 

agencies of techniques that may assist them in scheduling existing electronic 

records in accordance with Section 207(e) of the E-Government Act of 2002, 

[44 U.S.C. 3601] and NARA Bulletin 2006-02, NARA Guidance for 

Implementing Section 207(e) of the E-Government Act of 2002. 

2. What is the background for this bulletin? 

a. NARA Bulletin 2006-02, issued on December 15, 2005, reminded 

agencies that all electronic records created and received by agencies 

are subject to the same existing statutory and regulatory records 

management requirements as records in other formats and on other 

media. It also established timelines by which Federal agencies and 

NARA must take action regarding records management of both 

temporary and permanent electronic records.

b. NARA Bulletin 2006-02 specified that, by September 30, 2009, agencies 

must have NARA-approved records schedules for all records in existing 

electronic information systems. The Federal Records Council, an 

interagency group that advises NARA, suggested that NARA compile 

and issue recommendations to assist agencies with meeting this 

deadline.

3. How should agencies determine their inventory of "existing 

electronic information systems"?

a. In NARA Bulletin 2006-02, NARA defined the records subject to the 

scheduling deadline as records in "existing electronic information 

systems"; i.e., systems that are in steady-state operation or mixed lifecycle stage as of December 17, 2005, and electronic records in legacy 

systems that were not scheduled before decommissioning of the 

NARA Bulletin 2008-03 Page 1 of 3

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2008/2008-03.html 2/6/2015
system. 

b. Unless an agency has already completed a separate survey of existing 

unscheduled electronic records and systems, agencies should use their 

existing inventories of information systems, such as the Federal 

Information Security Management Act (FISMA) report inventory, to 

identify existing electronic information systems subject to NARA Bulletin 

2006-02. Only those electronic information systems on the inventory that 

contain and provide access to computerized Federal records must be 

scheduled. Other information technology (IT) systems on the agency 

inventory, such as IT infrastructure systems, are not subject to the 

scheduling requirement.

4. Are agency web records subject to the NARA bulletin requirements? 

Yes, agency web records are electronic records subject to NARA records 

management regulations and NARA Bulletin 2006-02. Agencies should 

prioritize their efforts at meeting the 2009 deadline for scheduling web 

records in the same way that they do for other electronic information 

systems. For guidance on scheduling web records, see 

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/policy/managing-web-recordsscheduling.html.

5. What approaches are recommended for meeting the deadline for 

scheduling existing electronic records?

a. Establish priorities. Agencies that have a backlog of unscheduled 

systems may consider using the resource allocation framework 

(http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/initiatives/resourceallocation.html) to prioritize the application of agency scheduling 

resources, focusing first on electronic records systems the agency 

believes contain records warranting permanent preservation or that are 

mission-critical systems.

b. Identify possible existing disposition authorities.

1. NARA has issued the General Records Schedules (GRS) to provide 

disposition authority for records created in many administrative 

business processes (e.g., human resources, budget, travel, 

procurement). See http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/ardor/ for 

a list of the GRS and links to the specific schedules. With very few 

exceptions, the GRS disposition authorities apply to administrative 

records that are now in administrative electronic records systems.

2. NARA recently revised its regulations in 36 CFR part 1228 to allow 

agencies to apply a previously approved schedule to electronic 

versions of the records when specific conditions are met. See 

§1228.31 at 

http://www.archives.gov/about/regulations/regulations.html. Further 

advice on using this media-neutral records schedule policy will be 

NARA Bulletin 2008-03 Page 2 of 3

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2008/2008-03.html 2/6/2015
.

issued shortly.

c. Consider multiple scheduling approaches. Agencies may continue to 

submit schedules covering series of electronic records, or may submit 

schedules covering specific systems. Agencies may also consider the 

approach in NARA Bulletin 2005-05, Guidance for flexible scheduling 

(http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2005/2005-05.html).

6. Whom do I contact for additional information?

a. NARA's Lifecycle Management Division provides assistance and advice 

to agency records officers of agencies headquartered in the 

Washington, DC, area and the Records Management staff in NARA's 

regional offices provides assistance and advice to agency records 

officers of agencies headquartered in the field. Your agency's records 

officer may contact the NARA appraiser or records analyst with whom 

your agency normally works for support in carrying out this bulletin. A list 

of the appraisal and scheduling work group and regional contacts is 

posted on the NARA web site at http://www.archives.gov/recordsmgmt/appraisal/.

b. The Records Management staff in NARA's regional offices provides 

assistance to agency records officers across the country. A complete list 

of NARA regional facilities may be found at 

http://www.archives.gov/locations/.

ALLEN WEINSTEIN

Archivist of the United States

Contact Us Accessibility Privacy Policy Freedom of Information Act No FEAR Act USA.gov

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272 

NARA Bulletin 2008-03 Page 3 of 3

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2008/2008-03.html 2/6/2015