[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 61 (Monday, March 31, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 15137-15138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7898]


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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

36 CFR Part 1258

RIN 3095-AA71


NARA Reproduction Fee Schedule

AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: NARA proposes to revise its schedule of fees for reproduction 
of records created by other Federal agencies and transferred to the 
custody of the Archivist of the United States; donated historical 
materials; Presidential records and Presidential historical materials 
transferred to the custody of the Archivist; and records filed with the 
Office of the Federal Register. The fees are being changed to reflect 
current costs of providing the reproductions. This rule will affect 
members of the public and Federal agencies who order reproductions from 
NARA.

DATES: Comments must be received by May 30, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Regulation Comment Desk (NPOL), Room 
4100, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College 
Park, MD 20740-6001. Comments may also be faxed to (301)713-7270.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Allard on (301) 713-7360.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The fees for reproduction of records 
promulgated in 36 CFR Part 1258 are set in accordance with 44 U.S.C. 
2116(c), which requires that, to the extent possible, NARA recover the 
actual cost of making copies of records and other materials transferred 
to the custody of the Archivist of the United States. In general, NARA 
has chosen to recoup only the order handling labor, the direct 
materials costs, shipping, and the labor directly associated with 
making the reproduction. The majority of these fees were last revised 
in 1991 on the basis of a cost study conducted in 1989 and 1990. That 
study concentrated on a few ``typical'' organizations in the 
Washington, DC, area and applied the resulting fees nationwide.
    Since 1991, NARA costs have increased because of higher materials 
and shipping costs and mandatory cost of living adjustments to staff 
salaries. Changes in work processes from the opening of the new 
Archives II facility, use of vendor services for fulfillment of textual 
and non-textual orders in the Washington, DC, area, and a need to 
better reflect reproduction processes at our field locations required a 
comprehensive review of the reproduction process. In 1995, NARA 
contracted with a nationally recognized accounting firm to conduct a 
new fee schedule study. The activity-based costing (ABC) method was 
used for the study, which surveyed all NARA organizations involved in 
the reproduction order process.
    Based on recommendations in the study, we propose to modify the way 
that NARA charges for certain types of reproductions. For electrostatic 
copies of paper documents made by NARA staff in the Washington, DC, 
area and original camera microfilming, we propose to use ``blended'' 
pricing, i.e., a price per block of copies, rather than per unit fees. 
This pricing structure is intended to reduce the amount of time spent 
by archival staff estimating the number of pages to be copied when 
preparing quotes for researchers and to reduce the amount of time spent 
by the Trust Fund staff in processing refunds for overestimated copy 
counts and in pursuing debt collection for underestimated copy counts. 
We also propose to sell copies of accessioned microfilm by the roll, 
rather than by the foot as we currently do, to eliminate the need to 
measure the film before preparing quotes and to make the pricing 
structure parallel to the microfilm publications program.
    We propose to raise the minimum fee for mail orders from $6 to $10 
to better cover the costs that are directly associated with handling an 
order of any size, including order tracking, payment processing, and 
shipping. We are deleting published fees for products and services for 
which there has been little demand in the past several years, including 
technical service fees, although fees will be computed upon request as 
stated in paragraph Sec. 1258.12(i).
    We are retaining the current fees for self-service paper-to-paper 
(10 cents per copy) and microfilm-to-paper copies (25 cents per copy), 
which represent approximately 42 percent of our reproduction volume. 
While the new fees for electrostatic copying done by NARA staff are 
significantly higher than the current fee, comparisons of NARA's fees 
to the prices charged by quick-copy shops would be misleading. Due to 
the fragile condition of our paper records and the need to preserve 
them for future use, NARA must forego the use of certain automating 
features available for today's copiers. We have compared our fees with 
those charged by similar organizations: the Library of Congress, the 
Georgia State Archives, and the University of Maryland Interlibrary 
Loan Program.
    In general, our prices fall into the same range as these 
organizations. Using a mail order for 30 paper-to-paper copies as an 
example, this would be the cost to the customer at each organization:
    $15 at NARA ($10 for the first block of 20 copies; $5 for each 
additional block of 20 copies);
    $15.50 at the Library of Congress ($10 for the first 25 copies; 
50 cents for each additional copy; $3 for each citation or item 
handled);
    $15 or $25 at the Georgia State Archives (25 cents per copy with 
minimum mail order amounts determined by residency of the customer); 
and
    $14.50 at the University of Maryland Interlibrary Loan Program 
($12.50 for the first 20 copies; 20 cents for each additional copy).
    We have removed Secs. 1258.2(c)(10) and 1258.11 relating to fees 
for reproduction of accessioned records in response to Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA) requests as unnecessary. The fees in 
Sec. 1258.11 have always been identical to the fees in Sec. 1258.12 
since NARA has long held the position that the fee provisions of the 
FOIA do not apply to archival records, rather that our specific fee 
statute (44 U.S.C. 2116(c)) serves as an alternative statute for fee 
issues.
    Finally, we propose to make this fee schedule effective July 1, 
1997, as we indicate in proposed Sec. 1258.16.
    This proposed rule is not a significant regulatory action for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866 of September 30, 1993, and has not 
been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. As required by 
the Regulatory Flexibility Act, it is hereby certified that this rule 
will not have a significant impact on small entities.

List of Subjects in 36 CFR 1258

    Archives and records.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, NARA proposes to amend 
chapter XII of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, as follows:

[[Page 15138]]

PART 1258--FEES

    1. The authority citation for part 1258 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 2116(c).

    2. Section 1258.2 is amended by revising paragraphs (c)(1)and 
(c)(3) through (c)(5), adding paragraph (c)(6)(v), and removing 
paragraph (c)(10) to read as follows:


Sec. 1258.2  Applicability.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *
    (1) National Archives Trust Fund Board publications, including 
microfilm publications. Prices are available from the Product Sales 
Section (NWPS), 700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Room G-9, Washington, DC 
20408.
* * * * *
    (3) Motion picture, sound recording, and video holdings of the 
National Archives and Presidential libraries. Information on the 
availability of and prices for reproduction of these materials are 
available from the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Branch (NWDNM), 
8601 Adelphi Rd., Room 3340, College Park, MD 20740-6001, or from the 
Presidential library which has such materials (see Sec. 1253.3 of this 
chapter for addresses).
    (4) Electronic records. Information on the availability of and 
prices for duplication are available from the Center for Electronic 
Records (NWRE), 8601 Adelphi Rd., Room 5320, College Park, MD 20740-
6001, or from the Presidential library which has such materials (see 
Sec. 1253.3 of this chapter for addresses).
    (5) Still photography, including aerial film, and oversize maps and 
drawings. Information on the availability and prices of reproductions 
of records held in the Still Pictures Branch (NWDNS) and the 
Cartographic and Architectural Branch (NWDNC), both located at the 
National Archives at College Park facility, 8601 Adelphi Rd., College 
Park, MD 20740-6001, and in the Presidential libraries and regional 
records services facility (see Secs. 1253.3 and 1253.7 of this chapter 
for addresses) should be obtained from the unit which has the original 
records.
    (6) * * *
    (v) Land entry records (order form NATF 84)--$10.
* * * * *
    3. The introductory text of Sec. 1258.4(f) is revised to read:


Sec. 1258.4  Exclusions.

* * * * *
    (f) For records center records only:
* * * * *
    4. Section 1258.10 is amended by revising paragraph (a) to read:


Sec. 1258.10  Mail orders.

    (a) There is a minimum fee of $10 per order for reproductions which 
are sent by mail to the customer.
* * * * *


Sec. 1258.11  [Removed]

    5. Section 1258.11 is removed.
    6. Section 1258.12 is amended by revising paragraphs (a) through 
(f), removing paragraph (g), and redesignating paragraphs (h) and (i) 
as paragraphs (g) and (h), respectively, to read:


Sec. 1258.12  Fee schedule.

    (a) Certification: $10.
    (b) Electrostatic copying: (1) Paper-to-paper copies (up to and 
including 11 in. by 17 in.) made by the customer on a NARA self-service 
copier: $0.10 per copy.
    (2) Paper-to-paper copies (up to and including 11 in. by 17 in.) 
made by NARA staff:
    (i) At a Presidential library; at a regional records services 
facility; and, when ordered on a same-day ``cash and carry'' basis, at 
a Washington, DC, area facility: $0.50 per copy.
    (ii) All other orders placed at a Washington, DC, area facility: 
$10 for the first 1-20 copies; $5 for each additional block of up to 10 
copies.
    (3) Oversized electrostatic copies (per linear foot): $2.50.
    (4) Electrostatic copies (22 in. by 34 in.): $2.50.
    (5) Microfilm or microfiche to paper copies made by the customer on 
a NARA self-service copier: $0.25.
    (6) Microfilm or microfiche to paper copies made by NARA staff: 
$1.75.
    (c) Microfilm. (1) Original negative microfilm (paper-to-
microfilm): $10 for the first 1-15 images; $14 for each additional 
block of up to 20 pages.
    (2) Direct duplicate copy of accessioned microfilm: $34.00 per 
roll.
    (3) Positive copy of accessioned microfilm: $34.00 per roll.
    (d) Diazo microfiche duplication (per fiche): $2.10.
    (e) Self-service video copying in the Motion Picture, Sound and 
Video Research Room: (1) Initial 90-min use of video copying station 
with 120-minute videocassette: $20.
    (2) Additional 90-minute use of video copying station with no 
videocassette: $14.
    (3) Blank 120-minute VHS videocassette: $6.
    (f) Self-service Polaroid prints: $9 per print.
* * * * *
    7. Section 1258.16 is revised to read:


Sec. 1258.16  Effective date.

    The fees in Sec. 1258.12 are effective on July 1, 1997.

    Dated: March 24, 1997.
John W. Carlin,
Archivist of the United States.
[FR Doc. 97-7898 Filed 3-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515-01-P