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Transfer of Permanent E-records to NARA

ATTENTION! This page has been superseded. The information listed below is no longer accurate. For NARA's current guidance please visit www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/policy/transfer-guidance.html. Please note that this page is available only as a technical and historical reference. 

Lead Agency: NARA

Point of Contact: Mark Giguere, mark.giguere@nara.gov

This project has three major components that will facilitate the transfer of electronic records to the National Archives for preservation and future use by Government and citizens.

Additional transfer methods

Before the Electronic Records Management Initiative, NARA regulations specified that agencies transfer permanent electronic records to the National Archives of the United States via open-reel magnetic tape, 3480-class tape cartridges, and CD-ROM.

As part of the Initiative, NARA revised its regulation, effective January 29, 2003, to expand the transfer methods to include higher density DLT tape media and media-less File Transfer Protocol.

Additional transfer formats

At the beginning of the Electronic Records Management Initiative, NARA accepted only very limited electronic record formats, which are defined in 36 CFR Part 1228. However, electronic records created and used by Federal agencies continue to grow in number and complexity and cannot be easily transferred to NARA. As part of the Initiative, NARA and partner agencies will identify priority electronic formats for which NARA will develop transfer requirements and guidance.

Permanent E-Records Transfers to NARA Deliverables

  1. Final rule permitting new methods of transferring permanent e-records issued by 12/30/02 -- Completed 12/30/02
  2. Expanding Acceptable Transfer Requirements: Transfer Instructions for Existing E-mail Messages with Attachments -- Completed 9/30/02
  3. Expanding Acceptable Transfer Requirements:Transfer Instructions for Existing Permanent Electronic Records - Scanned Images of Textual Records -- Completed 12/23/02
  4. Expanding Acceptable Transfer Requirements: Transfer Instructions for Permanent Electronic Records in Portable Document Format (PDF) -- Completed 3/31/03
  5. XML schema for RM and archival metadata registered at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) -- Completed 6/26/03
  6. Expanding Acceptable Transfer Formats: Transfer Instructions for Digital Photographic Records -- Completed 11/12/03
  7. Expanding Acceptable Transfer Formats: Transfer Instructions for Digital Geospatial Data Records -- Completed 4/12/04
  8. Expanding Acceptable Transfer Formats: Transfer Instructions for Web Content Records -- Completed 9/17/04
     

 

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