How Federal Agencies Are Approaching Email Disposition
Download NARA's Email Disposition Spreadsheet for more information about specific approaches and disposition authorities that agencies are using. Please note this is not a comprehensive list of agencies. Details of the spreadsheet are in the table below.
Agencies have several options to approach email disposition and may use a combination of any of the following:
- Implement the General Records Schedule (GRS) 6.1 disposition authority, otherwise known as the Capstone GRS. Agencies must request to use this GRS authority with a NARA form 1005, Verification for Implementing GRS 6.1.
- Request disposition authority through the submission and approval of an agency-specific schedule.
- The traditional approach to records management which requires individuals to make a records disposition decision on every email they send or receive based on its content. Users determine if the email is permanent or temporary; and if temporary, how long the records schedule requires it be kept.
- Combination of the above
The information in the spreadsheet is derived from several NARA data collection sources. They show:
- An agency has submitted a NA-1005 for NARA’s review (form is approved or pending approval);
- An agency has a NARA- approved records schedule for their email;
- An agency reported via the annual Records Management Self-Assessment (RMSA) that they use traditional records management to manage their email;
- An agency reported via the RMSA that it has not decided which approach it will use to manage its email; or
- We have no information from the agency.
More information about the RMSA may be found here. A list of approved Capstone forms can be found on the Records Control Schedule here.
NARA's Email Disposition Spreadsheet contains the following information:
For questions about this list or to request that additional agencies be added, please contact us at GRS_Team@nara.gov