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AC 12.2015

February 10, 2015

MEMORANDUM TO FEDERAL AGENCY CONTACTS: Agency review of three new draft General Records Schedules

NARA’s General Records Schedule (GRS) Team is continuing its multi-year project to rewrite the GRS to reflect current government functions and practices. We invite all Federal agencies to participate in the review process. Attached for your review are the following draft schedules:

GRS 1.3 Budgeting Records
GRS 2.4 Employee Compensation and Benefits Records
GRS 4.4 Library Records

These drafts are being sent to you before publication in the Federal Register. We would like to hear from agencies first so that what is eventually published in the Federal Register already has your approval as our stakeholders.

We have learned that we receive the most useful information from agency subject matter experts (SMEs)—agency staff working in functions whose records the schedules describe. Please forward these schedule drafts to your agency SMEs.  Send the schedule on budgeting records to the office that deals with your agency’s budget preparation and ask for their review. Forward the schedule for employee compensation and benefits to your Human Resources and Payroll function.  If your agency has a library or information center for staff use, ask its staff to evaluate the usefulness of the schedule.  Their feedback will be invaluable.  Their review - and yours - should focus on these questions: 

  • Are records correctly and completely described? 
  • Are retention periods too long, too short, or just right? 
  • Are items missing that should be included? 
  • Are items present that should be deleted? 

Please use the attached comment form to submit comments, sending a separate comment form for each schedule.

We appreciate your staff taking the time to review these drafts and provide comments. Our overhaul of the GRS will necessarily affect every agency throughout the Federal government. Please help us refine these schedules so that they serve your needs.

You may still dispose of records using the current GRS until the new schedules are approved and transmitted to agencies for implementation. 

Please send any questions and comments to GRS_Team@nara.gov. We will accept comments through March 13, 2015.

Thanks,

The GRS Team

PAUL M. WESTER, JR.
Chief Records Officer
for the U.S. Government

Attachments:
GRS 1.3 Review 2-2015
GRS 1.3 Reviewer Comment Form
GRS 2.4 Review 2-2015
GRS 2.4 Reviewer Comment Form
GRS 4.4 Review 2-2015
GRS 4.4 Reviewer Comment Form

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