The National Archives and Records Administration is responsible for administering and making available for research the permanently valuable noncurrent records of the federal government. These archival holdings, now amounting to more than 1.5 million cubic feet, date from the first days of the Continental Congress in 1774 and preserve the basic records of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government from that time to the present. The National Archives also administers the Presidential libraries. These research resources document significant events in our nation's history, but most of them are preserved for their continuing practical use in the ordinary processes of government.
All nonrestricted records are available for the use of scholars, students, genealogists, and others.