NARA Records Schedule
The NARA Records Schedule provides mandatory instructions (“disposition instructions”) to all NARA staff regarding how to maintain the agency’s operational records and what to do with them when they are no longer needed for current business. The disposition instructions state whether individual series of records are “permanent” or “temporary,” as well as how long to retain the records. Records with historical value, identified as “permanent,” are transferred to the National Archives of the United States at the end of their retention period. All other records are identified as “temporary” and are eventually destroyed in accordance with the NARA Records Schedule or the General Records Schedule. The NARA Records Schedule is organized into categories under 19 chapters that roughly reflect NARA’s mission and administrative functions.