The new administration has required agencies to create strategic plans covering 2018-2022. Our updated Strategic Plan was circulated for public comment over the past couple of months. We asked for input and you gave it. You can see the history of comments on our GitHub page. With updates informed by those comments, we provided OMB … Continue reading Bold Updates to Our Strategic Plan
Category: Open Government
The Panama Canal: Riots, Treaties, Elections, and a Little Military Madness
The National Declassification Center's newest special project release concerns U.S. and Panamanian foreign relations: The Panama Canal: Riots, Treaties, Elections, and a Little Military Madness, 1959 - 1973. 2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the official celebration of the completed construction of the Panama Canal by the United States. Although the Canal was officially opened … Continue reading The Panama Canal: Riots, Treaties, Elections, and a Little Military Madness
Draft National Archives Strategic Plan
The National Archives, like all other Federal agencies, is required to produce a new Strategic Plan every four years. Our Strategic Plan establishes our Mission, Strategic Goals, and Objectives, and describes how NARA will meet our ambitious vision. We have posted a new, draft Strategic Plan and invite feedback from public and government customers, stakeholders, and … Continue reading Draft National Archives Strategic Plan
National Archives Begins Online Release of JFK Assassination Records
Today at 8 a.m., the National Archives released a group of documents (the first of several expected releases), along with 17 audio files, previously withheld in accordance with the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. The materials released today are available online only. Access to the original paper records will occur at a future … Continue reading National Archives Begins Online Release of JFK Assassination Records
Information Security Oversight Office Annual Report to the President
The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), established in 1978, is responsible to the President for overseeing the Government-wide security classification program, and receives policy and program guidance from the National Security Council. ISOO has been part of the National Archives since 1995. Today, ISOO released online its Report to the President for Fiscal Year (FY) … Continue reading Information Security Oversight Office Annual Report to the President
Improving Customer Experience with Digital Personas
Keeping the customer’s needs front and center is important when developing new digital tools. We recently developed a set of user personas as part of our work to establish a more robust—and data informed—understanding of the individuals that engage digitally with the National Archives (NARA). User personas are fictional, but realistic representations of key audience … Continue reading Improving Customer Experience with Digital Personas
An Update on FOIA Improvement
The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) in the National Archives drives improvements to the federal government’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process by serving as a neutral party to help resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and agencies, and also by reviewing and identifying strategies to improve agency FOIA compliance. By carrying out these dual … Continue reading An Update on FOIA Improvement
Guidance on Presidential and Federal Records
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has long had a special relationship with the incoming Presidential Administration, including providing archival and records management guidance and support to the White House upon request. This relationship continues throughout the Administration, until the Presidential records are transferred into the National Archives for permanent preservation in our President … Continue reading Guidance on Presidential and Federal Records
Reaching Out with RDA
This week, the National Archives took yet another step toward the Open Government goals of transparency, participation and collaboration, by joining the wider archival community in adopting the Resource Description and Access (RDA) standard for its authority records. The RDA standard was developed in 2010 as the successor to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition … Continue reading Reaching Out with RDA
The Role of the National Archives in the Presidential Transition
With this week’s election, we Americans determined the next chapter in our country’s history. I am proud to have exercised my vote and I hope you did the same. As private citizens we participated in an act of living democracy. Today, we do the same as Federal employees dedicated to preparing our agency for a … Continue reading The Role of the National Archives in the Presidential Transition