AGENCYWIDE DOCUMENTS ACCESS AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ADAMS) USER 

GROUP MEETING 

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 

2:00 PM–3 :00 PM 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Headquarters 

Public Document Room O1-F21 

Agenda for ADAMS User Group Meeting #18

1. General Announcements—Anna McGowan (2:00–2:05 p.m.) 

2. Member Issues and Questions—Anna McGowan (2:05–2:30 p.m.) 

3. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Status Briefing—Gary Young (2:30–2:45 p.m.) 

4. New Business or Questions—Anna McGowan (2:45–2:55 p.m.) 

5. Adjournment—(3:00 p.m.) 
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MEETING MINUTES 

1. General Announcements—Anna McGowan (2:00–2:05 p.m.) 

Anna McGowan opened the meeting at 2:00 p.m. She introduced the NRC staff present in the 

meeting room. Staff from the Information and Records Services Division included 

Gary Young, Thomas Smith, Adam Glazer, Karen Danoff, Sardar Zuberi, Mary Mendiola, 

Elizabeth Deahl, Jo Ann Resner, and Natalya Bobryakova. One public visitor from CACI was 

present. 

On the telephone bridge were representatives from the following organizations: Akin, Gump,

and Strauss, AREVA, Bechtel, GE Hitachi Nuclear, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the NRC, 

SCANA, Scientech, STARS, Westinghouse, and Winston and Strawn. 

Ms. McGowan stated that this was the eighteenth meeting of the ADAMS User Group. 

The minutes of previous ADAMS User Group meetings are posted on the ADAMS User Group 

Web page on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/users-group.html . 

The minutes of the current meeting will also be available there. 

The group recognized the tenth anniversary of ADAMS with a cake and other baked goods. 

Ms. McGowan said that the public ADAMS library has grown considerably and now contains 

more than 522,000 documents. 

2. Member Issues and Questions—Anna McGowan (2:05–2:30 p.m.) 

Ms. McGowan provided answers to the following questions that had been submitted before the 

meeting: 

Q1: Why is the Document/Report Number sometimes placed in the Case/Reference Number 

field rather than in the Document/Report Number field? 

A: The example submitted for this question involved an inspection report (IR) in which the IR 

number was incorrectly entered into the Case/Reference Number field. The IR number should 

be entered into the Document/Report Number field and that correction has been made in the 

system. When an IR serves as a reference document only (i.e., when it is not an actual IR), the 

IR number would be recorded in the Case/Reference Number field. 

 

Q2: Why are there duplicate documents in ADAMS? Isn’t there a system filter that would alert 

staff that they are duplicating an existing record? 

A: Since the agency has been entering the combined license application (COLA) documents, 

the number of duplicate documents in the ADAMS database has increased. All material 

submitted to the agency is entered into ADAMS as directed by COLA project managers. We 

are working to address the issue of duplicate records in the system. 

 

Q3: I would really like a page in ADAMS Search where I could just type a search string directly 

into the Advanced Search page. 
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A: It depends on whether you are using the Web-based ADAMS search engine. We are 

working to make the Advanced Search page the front page for this new version of Public 

ADAMS and to remove the Simple Search page. 

Q4: Is there a way of adjusting the “Time Out”? It is too short for power users; perhaps it could 

be at least an hour. 

A: Please give the Public Document Room (PDR) staff concrete examples of the timeouts 

experienced. We have adjusted the Citrix-based Publicly Available Records System (PARS) so 

that users do not experience timeouts. A timeout does occur when there is no activity for a long 

period of time; this is built into the system and is not within our control. Timeouts will be the 

same for all users, including power users. 

 

Q5: Why are the Results fields options not saved? 

A: This is not currently possible with our operating platform, but we realize that this function is 

very useful for searching. We have requested it in our design plans for the future platform. 

Q6: Why is the number of Documents to Retrieve, Display, and Sort not saved? 

A: This can currently be done in the Citrix-based ADAMS Advanced Search option. (After 

completing your search, go to “File” in the upper left corner of the screen; select “Save”; and 

name the file for future use. The search strategy is saved on the selected drive and can be 

used in future search sessions.) 

Q7: What happened with the recent indexing problem for Web-based ADAMS? 

A: Two weeks ago, some of our users noticed that the indexing on Web-based PARS was not 

up to date. I am pleased to report that this has been corrected, and the indexing in both 

systems is up to date. 

3. ECM Status Briefing—Gary Young (2:30–2:45 p.m.) 

Ms. McGowan introduced Gary Young, the ECM coordinator. Mr. Young explained why the new 

ECM platform is needed to replace the current ADAMS platform. All government agencies are 

now required to be on an ECM platform. ADAMS and its platform are very old; therefore, “It is 

time to move on, and we are moving on,” he said. 

Mr. Young announced that a new Web-based interface for ADAMS will be available by the end 

of this year. The new interface is part of the larger project under development that includes 

sharing software, such as SharePoint and Tomoye, which will be used internally. 

Users will not have to download Citrix software to use the new interface. Web-based PARS will 

remain operational for a while, but Citrix-based PARS will shut down concurrent with the start of 

the new system. 

The new system initially will not allow the generation of reports, but the PDR staff will assist 

users who need to generate reports. The new ECM system will support a number of initiatives, 

such as “Work at Home,” and will have better tools to manage NRC documents. 
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The timetable for the rollout of the new ECM system is as follows. There will be a new public 

Web-based interface by the end of 2009. This will not be its final form. In spring 2010, the NRC 

will introduce a Google interface for the new public Web-based interface, which will enable 

Google-type browsing and searching of ADAMS. 

Phase One is internal and should be completed by the end of 2010. The old internal ADAMS 

and the new Web-based interface will run at the same time. Seventeen other applications, 

including the Electronic Hearing Docket and the Licensing Support Network, will also be 

running. Phase Two is scheduled for 2011, and the existing internal ADAMS will be 

decommissioned when the new ECM system is fully operational. 

Mr. Young, Mr. Smith, and Ms. McGowan then answered meeting participant questions on the 

new system: 

Q1: Once something goes into the database, can it be pulled? 

A: Yes, that is part of the records management process. The NRC follows the 

recommendations of the National Archives and Records Administration. Our records 

management staff is working on retention schedules using across-the-board Government rules. 

Some documents are kept in perpetuity, while others have a limited lifespan. 

We are also working on improving records documentation. The new ECM will have a better 

taxonomy, so documents will be easier to find. 

Q2: Is the report option being eliminated? If someone requests all of the documents on a 

subject, in Citrix-based ADAMS you can create a report. I need to run daily reports. The PDR 

staff will be overrun with requests for reports if we are not able to produce them ourselves. 

Should we send you information on how many reports we run in a day? 

A: Yes, please send us that information and let us know which reports you use and those you 

do not. Back in 1999, when ADAMS was designed, reporting was not a feature of Panagon. 

The NRC had to perform custom programming to enable report creation. 

Q3: Will we still have the document profile? This is necessary when we need to contact a 

document’s owner. There are still some documents in ADAMS for which the originator is 

unclear. We need to continue having the document contact in the document profile in the new 

system. 

A: The documents’ property profiles will be retained. This is a problem when the document’s 

contact person is not entered into ADAMS. Adding that is the responsibility of the originator of 

the document or the Document Processing Center. 

Q4: How long will we not be able to run reports? 

A: We will develop the capabilities of the new system as we go along. Seventeen other 

applications also are being developed. It is now a more involved process to build the system. 

Q5: Will the new system run in parallel with Web-based ADAMS? 

A: Yes, the new Web-based interface will run in parallel with Web-based ADAMS. 
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Q6: Can we see a prototype of the new system before the end of this year? 

A: We are bringing it up fairly soon, so there will not be any beta testing. Training will be 

available once the new system is deployed, and PDR staff will assist users via e-mail and 

telephone. A “Help and Reference” Web page will also provide searching strategies. 

Q7: Will there be a news release and a sub-Web site explaining the new system? 

A: We have spoken with the NRC’s Office of Public Affairs, and there will be a press release. 

The meeting minutes from today’s meeting will be on the ADAMS User Group Web page. 

Q8: Can you send out a briefing on what will happen and the ramifications of the new system, 

with a chart to make it clear? 

A: Yes, we are happy to do that. 

Q9: Will the Google functionality to be rolled out next spring replace the fielded search? 

A: We cannot answer that yet. The Google functionality is still under development. 

Q10: Will the new system be like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission database? 

A: We are not familiar with that database, but we will do our best to meet users’ needs. 

Q11: How should we request reports? I tweak and try different approaches in making a report. 

This could take days if I have to ask the PDR staff to do it. 

 

A: You can request reports by telephone or e-mail. Information on specific uses of reporting is 

helpful. We do not know how much time the reports will take, since some reports are simple 

and others are more complex. It will not be easy, but we need to find a process that will work. 

Q12: Will Citrix-based ADAMS run concurrently with the new system? If not, you need to think 

about providing reports. 

A: No, public Citrix-based ADAMS will be taken down at the end of this year. Please send us 

examples of the reports you create, in both the ADAMS Public Library and the Public Legacy 

Library. 

4. New Business or Questions—Anna McGowan (2:45–2:55 p.m.) 

There was no new business. Ms. McGowan concluded the meeting by announcing that the next 

ADAMS User Group Meeting will be held in late April or early May 2010. The meeting will be 

announced on the ADAMS User Group Web page and through the ADAMS User Group listserv 

(http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html). 

Ms. McGowan also said that the PDR staff will have a booth at the Regulatory Information 

Conference, which will be held March 9–11, 2010. During the conference, PDR staff will 

provide brochures and documentation on the new Web-based interface and demonstrate its 

use. 
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Ms. McGowan thanked everyone for participating in the meeting and for their contributions. 

5. Adjournment—(3:00 p.m.)