NARA Bulletin 2018-01

NARA Bulletin 2018-01

August 30, 2018

TO: Heads of Federal Agencies

SUBJECT:  Updating NARA Bulletin 2014-04, Format Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records

EXPIRATION DATE: Expires when revoked or superseded

1. What is the purpose of this bulletin?

This bulletin updates NARA Bulletin 2014-04, Format Guidance for the Transfer of Permanent Electronic Records.

2.  Why is NARA updating Bulletin 2014-04?

The bulletin contains two parts: general guidance on formats and an appendix containing a table of file formats acceptable for transferring permanent electronic records. NARA intends to add new formats and remove obsolete formats on an as-needed basis. The original language and structure of the bulletin hindered NARA from adding new categories of formats to the tables.

3. What specific changes will be made to Bulletin 2014-04?

• A revision date will be added to the bulletin:           

Issued: January 31, 2014

Revised: [Month Day], 2018 per NARA Bulletin 2018-xx

• The title of the bulletin will be changed. The word “revised” will be deleted to make it clear that this guidance is the current format guidance.
• Section 1 will be updated to indicate the guidance has been revised.
• Section 3 will be deleted.
• Section 4 will be renumbered as Section 3. The section will be revised to better explain what format categories are. This specific list of format categories will be deleted, allowing NARA the flexibility to add or remove categories of formats in the future.
• Section 5 will be revised and renumbered as Section 4.
• A new Section 5 will be added:

5.  How will NARA update the tables?

NARA will revise the list of formats in the tables to reflect changes in usage and technology. NARA may adjust formats by moving them between “Preferred” or “Acceptable” status, may add new formats as they are adopted for use with Federal records, or may remove those that become obsolete.

• Section 10 will be revised to include a reference to NARA Bulletin 2015-04, and to remove references to NARA Bulletin 2011-01 and PKI Digital Signature Authenticated and Secured Transaction Records which have been superseded. The following guidance products have been removed because they are not directly related to this bulletin: NARA Bulletin 2013-02 Guidance on a New Approach to Managing Email Records, NARA Bulletin 2014-02 Guidance on Managing Social Media Records, Toolkit for Managing Electronic Records, NARA Bulletin 2010-05 Guidance on Managing Records in Cloud Computing Environments, and Frequently Asked Questions About Media Neutral Schedule Items.

4. Whom should I contact for additional information?

If additional information is needed, or if you have questions related to this bulletin, the agency should consult with the National Archives and Records Administration, Records Management Policy and Standards Team, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740 or by email to acps@nara.gov.

DAVID S. FERRIERO

Archivist of the United States