United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Information Resources
Management
(PM-211D)
EPA 220-N-93-018
Issue Number 28
April 1993
v>EPA INFO ACCESS
Records Network Communications
~~ V1
¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦¦
x
In this Issue...
Editing Records
Schedules
p. 3
White House Email
Controversy
p. 4-5
Saving $$ at the FRC
p. 6
Pandora's Box
p. 6
RACO '93
p. 7
Headquarters Update
p. 8-9
Around the Network
p. 10-11
Reviewing Records Disposition
Schedules by Michael L. Miller, Agency Records Officer
"What is this mountain of paper?"
It seems nearly an inch thick, the
print is small, and it looks like too
much to wade through. You've just
received a package of records
disposition schedules to review.
Don't let it sink to the bottom of your
inbox!! We need your comments, and
those of your program staff, to make
the new schedules work.
Over the next few months each
of you will probably receive one or
more packages of records disposition
schedules (RDS) for review and
comment. One set consists of
Agencywide, Headquarterswide,
Regional, Superfund, and RCRA
schedules. These were circulated for
informal comment last October and will
be circulated for green border review in
June. Your program will have only four
weeks to respond, so you need to begin
your review promptly.
The other set of schedules will be
those prog ram-specific schedules for
individual Headquarters programs and
Office of Research and Development
laboratories. These schedules will only
be sent to you if your program is directly
affected by the dispositions.
Continued on page 2
V)
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Reviewing RDS from page 1
Here are some hints about what to look for so
that you can review the schedules quickly and
efficiently:
~	Only review the schedules that Impact on
your program. If your program doesn't do
permits, there is no reason to review that
schedule. The schedule package will include
indexes that list the schedules by title and by
area of applicability to help you identify those
schedules that will affect your office.
~	Review the IDENTIFYING INFORMATION
section for the completeness and accuracy
of the information. If you know of any legal
requirements to create or maintain the records,
please indicate that during the review. If you
know that the records are restricted, please add
the type of restrictions to the Specific
Restrictions section. Also be sure to note
whether the records should be considered vital
in the opinion of your program.
~	Review the DISPOSITION INFORMATION
section to determine whether the retention and
disposition instructions are satisfactory and
implementable.
~	Review the APPLICATION GUIDANCE
section to ensure that the guidance makes
sense. Are there any other issues that the
guidance should cover?
~	If you are reviewing program specific
schedules, please complete the CUSTODIAL
INFORMATION section. There is no need to
review CUSTODIAL INFORMATION for
schedules that are not specific to your program.
~	There Is no need to review the CONTROL
INFORMATION SECTION.
~	If you know that the records covered in the
schedules are no longer created, let us
know that. Likewise if there are records that
you do not feel are covered by the schedules,
let us know that as well.
With this massive revision of the RDS, EPA is ,
in effect, reinventing records schedules. Instead of
simply being a source for disposition instructions,
the new RDS will be an information resource that
will help everyone manage their records better. Our
new schedule format and information requirements
are similar to those which the National Archives is
considering collecting from all agencies in the
future, so we can consider ourselves ahead of the
curve in this area. The National Records
Management Program (NRMP) appreciates your
time and attention to the review of the RDS. Your
help is essential to the success of the new
schedules. •&
........
WWrn&imwm,
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1NFOACCESS, a forum to provide information and report on progress in information
management across the Agency, is produced by the Information Access Branch of the
Information Management and Services Division, Washington, DC under the direction of
Michael Miller, National Records Management Program Manager. Please send comments
and suggestions to: Mary Hoffman (contractor), Network Coordinator, PM21 IB,
401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: (202) 260-7762. Electronic Mail:
Hoffman.Mary.
INFOACCESS
APRIL 1993
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In WordPerfect 5.1, Redline
pnd Strikeout features are often
used to denote changes in
contracts or other large
documents. The redline
indicates suggested additions to
the original document and use of
the strikeout indicates
suggested deletions. Using these
features can save you time in
making changes to your draft
record schedule.
How to Compare Documents
with Redline and Strikeout
If you have two slightly
different versions of the same
document (for example, two
different record schedule
mark-ups), you can compare the
two to assess their differences.
This is especially useful if you are
working with someone else who
has made changes to a copy of
your document, and you want to
see exactly what changes were
made. Here's how:
1.	Retrieve the most recent
version of the document by
selecting F10 [Retrieve].
2.	Next, use ALT F5, Select 6
[Generate], and Press 2
[Compare Screen and Disk
Documents and Add Redline
and Strikeout].
3.	As prompted, enter the file
name of the older version of the
document, and press ENTER.
WordPerfect compares the
documents phrase by phrase,
placing redline markings and
strikeout codes in the document
that's currently on the screen.
A Quick Way
to Change
Your Record
Schedules
Compiled by Sherry Glick,
Program Management &
Support Division, Information
Services Branch, Office of
Pesticide Programs
Redline marks text that is in the
newer (on-screen) document but
not in the older (on-disk)
document. Strikeout marks text
that is in the older (on-disk)
document but not in the newer
(on-screen) document.
If any text in the newer
document has been moved in
relation to the older document,
WordPerfect inserts, 'The
Following Text Was Moved"
above the moved text and 'The
Preceding Text Was Moved"
below the moved text.
If you want to preserve the
document with its redline and
strikeout codes, remember to
save the document that's
currently on your screen with a
new name.
Removing Redline Markings
and Strikeout Text
You can remove all the
redline markings and strikeout
text from a document with a
single command. This is useful
for printing a final draft of the
document, after you are certain
that you no longer need the
redline markings or the text that
has been struck out. Follow the
steps below:
1.	Press ALT 5, Select 6
[Generate] and then Press 1
[Remove Redline Markings
and Strikeout Text From
Document].
2.	Select Yes.
Printer Information
On some printers,
WordPerfect prints redline text
as a grey shaded area; on other
printers redline text is printed
with a shaded background or
with dots beneath the characters.
On color printers redline text is
printed in red. $
If you would like to share
technical information like the
information presented in this
article with your EPA records
management colleagues, we'd
like to know IINFOACCESS
wants to support the exchange
of records management tips and
tricks. If you would like to
contribute information for an
INFOACCESS article, contact
Mike Miller at (202) 260-5911 or
Mary Hoffman (contractor) at
(202) 260-7762.
APRIL 1993
3
INFOACCESS
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Judge Richey's Decision
EPA
and the
White House
Email
Controversy
In February, the
National Archives and
Records Administration
(NARA) issued a
memorandum explaining
the decision by Judge
Richey in the Scott
Armstrong et. al.
Plaintiffs, v. Excutive
Office of the President
et al. Defendants. If
upheld, the decision
could have a profound
effect on recordkeeping
throughout the Federal
government. The first
part of this article is
drawn from the NARA
memorandum (which
was distributed to EPA
records liaison officers in
February) and provides
background on the
decision. The second
part looks at the
potential implications
for EPA.
Judge Richey did not find fault with NARA's policy on electronic records,
but rather with the implementation of it by the Executive Office of the
President (EOP). His ruling dealt first with the record status of documents in
the electronic-mail (email) system of the EOP. Judge Richey held that while
not every message in the system "rises to the level" of a record, the Federal
Records Act does apply to the system as a whole.
Under the facts of the case, messages that do meet the definition of
records "must be saved regardless of whether a paper copy has been
produced." Judge Richey found that the paper copies were not an adequate
substitute, because the printouts lacked the complete information regarding
who received each communication and when, data that are included in the
electronic version, and which had "tremendous historical value." In sum, the
decision stated that once EOP staff decided that a note or other message
on the email system was a Federal record, that material must be saved in a
way that included all of the pertinent information contained therein.
Judge Richey also found that the EOP's recordkeeping practices, at the
time the suit was filed, to be "arbitrary and capricious" under the
Administrative Procedures Act because the agency did not:
(a)	provide sufficient guidance to allow agency personnel to determine
what documentary material should be preserved as a Federal record,
and prevent the destruction of Federal records;
(b)	provide for the retention of transaction data relating to email; and
(c)	provide oversight for records status determinations.
Judge Richey's opinion further explained that if individual staff members
are given authority to make determinations on record status, such
determinations much be done within management procedures that provide
adequate training, supervision, and review by records management
personnel. It is important to note that the decision covered records in any
medium, although the focus of the case was on electronic records.
Finally Judge Richey asked that the defendant agencies immediately
institute provisions for periodic review of recordkeeping practices to ensure
the adequacy, effectiveness, and efficiency of the recordkeeping program.
Potential Implications for EPA
At this time, Judge Richey's decision applies only to the defendant
agencies, and, in any case, an appeal of the decision has been filed.
Therefore, the Agency is not required to comply with the requirements set
forth in the decision. Further, it can be argued that because EPA is not the
EOP, whose records are of extremely high historical interest, it should not
Continued on page 5
INFOACCESS
APRIL 1993
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Email from page 4
be held to the same standards of documentation in
all cases. However, EPA does need to resolve four
issues raised in Judge Richey's decision, if only for
our own documentation purposes.
What is an Email Record?
EPA's general guidance is that any message or
document that is necessary to support an action or
decision is an Agency record and must be
preserved for the appropriate period of time
stipulated in the records disposition schedule.
However, a common means of documenting an
email message has been to print it out. In All-in-1 it
is even possible to print out to whom a message
was sent and when. But is that sufficient? If there is
more information about the message in AII-in-1 than
is normally captured in a printout (when it was read,
for example) must EPA preserve that information
too, under the "all pertinent information" aspect of
the decision? In paper files we only document when
a document was sent, not when it was received.
Just because we can document more in AII-in-1, are
we required to do so?
What Kind of Guidance Must We Give?
In EPA, as in the EOP, Agency staff frequently
make determinations about what is a record. The
Agency's records management manual and other
issuances provide a general framework for
determining what is a record. In many cases, this is
supplemented by the program-specific guidance on
what is to be included in specific files. There is also
a draft Superfund document titled Recorc/s
Definition and Guidance that explores the nature of
records in considerable detail. Granting the
existence of these products, it is still not clear
whether there is sufficient guidance to "allow agency
personnel to determine what documentary material
should be preserved as a Federal record." More to
the point, few records managers would claim to
have a satisfactory program to provide oversight for
records status determinations, including training.
Should We Retain Email Transaction Data?
At this point the Agency is in no position to say
that all transaction data for email messages are
being preserved. In most cases it probably is not.
Is this information necessary from the Agency's
perspective, and if so under what circumstances?
What Type of Review is Needed?
The NARA evaluation already found that EPA
does not have an adequate program for evaluating
the effectiveness of records management in the
Agency. The Judge Richey decision indicates how
detailed a review may be necessary to conform with
Federal regulations. The National Records
Management Program is currently reviewing options
for conducting IRM and records management
reviews, #
r( Tip of the Hat
INFOACCESS likes to recognize records arid
information management staff for excellent work
in the field of records management, the development
of special products, completion of significant projects,
or acknowledgement of Agency awards.
Welcome to the Network!
~	Delta Pereira is the new alternate records
contact for the Office of Research and
Development at Headquarters.
~	Paul Frazier is the new Senior IRM Official and
records contact for the Office of General Counsel
at Headquarters.
Congratulations!
The Network has a new Certified Records
Manager (CRM) in Region 6 - Lois Dillard
(contractor). Good work, Lois!
Sad News...
INFOACCESS has learned that Rebecca (Becky)
Pacheco, records manager at the National
Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) In
Denver, passed away unexpectedly in March.
V			J
APRIL 1993
5
INFOACCESS
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NARA Announces Updated
v^Cost Savings Figures
U.S. taxpayers can avoid an average cost of $20.98 per
cubic foot of records when agencies store their records in
Federal Records Centers (FRC), according to a notice
released March 25,1993, by the National Archives and
Records Administration's Office of Federal Records Centers.
This figure represents a recalculation of the 1993
estimate released earlier this year. It reflects the difference
between the cost of storing records in office space and the
cost of storing them in a records center. For fiscal year 1993,
the revised cost of storing records in office space was
determined to be $22.57 per cubic foot, based on a cost of
$22.04 per cubic foot of office space, plus $0.53 per cubic
foot, annually, for storage in a typical five-drawer filing
cabinet ($160.02 divided by 7.5 cubic feet per cabinet,
equaling $21.34, and amortized over 40 years).
In comparison, the cost of FRC storage was determined
to be only $1.59 per cubic foot, based on a cost of $1.45 per
cubic foot of storage space, and $0.14 for shelving,
assembly, transportation, filing equipment and storage
materials ($5.77 per cubic foot amortized over 40 years).
The result Is a cost avoidance of nearly 93 percentll
Since FRC storage is free to agencies, these figures
reflect cost avoidances for taxpayers rather than agencies.
Agencies avoid the entire $22.57 cost per cubic foot In
budgetary terms. Also, these are average figures; the
savings gained by a particular agency or office will vary
depending upon the cost per square foot of office space, the
type of storage equipment used, the amount spent by the
agency on staffing and maintenance to support the records,
and other factors.
It should be noted that In order for these substantial
cost avoidances to be fully realized, agencies must have
comprehensive and accurate records disposition
schedules In place and Implement them properly. *
Diary of a Records
Manager: Pandora s Box
The inventory form said that the
content of the box was PANDORA'S
BOX!! Now, I don't know what kind of
experiences you've had, but I wasn't sure
that I wanted to open a box labeled
PANDORA'S BOX.
In the last year, I've unpacked records
that must have come over with the
Pilgrims; how else could they be that
musty? I've contended with mystery
boxes...orphan boxes of records left
outside the Record Center's door. I've
even opened a box containing a colorful
patch of mold so big that it could be the
next alien on Star Trek - Deep Space Nine.
One of my co-workers tangled with a box
of records that made her hands burn; she
hasn't started to glow in the dark...yet.
None of these boxes had any warning
messages saying that the contents were
less than desirable. So, what was going to
be inside of a box listed as containing
PANDORA'S BOX? If I opened the box
would I melt down like the guys in the
Raiders of the Lost Ark? Would I be
unleashing some agent of doom?
Like any good manager, I
procrastinated. I waited until every box
in the shipment had been unpacked. I
unpacked every box in the next shipment.
I tried to get someone else to unpack it. I
walked by it lor days on end, looking at it
out of the corner of my eye. Was it oozing
some poisonous vapor? Had it moved as I
walked by?
The day of reckoning arrived; I was
tired of avoiding the stupid thing. I mean,
there I was - a well-educated professional
being held hostage by a cardboard box! I
carefully put the box in the middle of a
table. I took a pair of very long scissors
and cut the tape on the box. Using the
scissors, I slowly lifted the lid of the box.
And sure enough, I found PANDORA'S
BOX. In fact a whole box-full of
PANDORA'S BOXES. PANDORA S BOX
was the title of a pamphlet (and of course
not a record)! *
INFOACCESS
6
APRIL 1993
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Records Management in a Decade of Change:
The 1993 Records Administration Conference - RACO '93
May 26,1993
Washington Renaissance Hotel-Techworld
999 Ninth Street, NW,
Washington, DC
[Two blocks north of the Ninth Street entrance
to Metro's Red Line]
Office of Records Administration, National Archives
and Records Administration
Date:
location:
Sponsor:
The Records Administration Conference [RACO
'93] will begin with a panel discussion of electronic
mail issues. After an explanation of the key events
and issues relating to Judge Richey's findings in
Armstrong v. Executive Office of the President, a
panel will dicuss the reactions and concerns of the
records and information resources management
community.
Affinity Group Sessions
Following the panel discussion, conference
participants will have the opportunity to discuss the
following topics in "affinity group" sessions:
~	Records management issues relating to
electronic mail systems.
~	Current information technology issues,
including optical disk technology.
~	Electronic signature and the legal
admissability of electronic records.
~	Recordkeeping requirements and
comprehensive scheduling.
~	Implementation of NARA guidance
concerning personal papers of executive
branch officials.
~	Assessing the effectiveness of records
management programs through agency
self-evaluation.
~ Disaster prevention and recovery and
identification of vital records.
After lunch there will be a second round of
"affinity group" sessions so participants can attend
the discussion of a second topic.
The day will conclude with a networking session,
allowing for further conversation with colleagues,
affinity group leaders, and NARA staff.
Registration
The cost of the conference is $75.00. To
register, send a Standard Form 182 (or
equivalent) to:
RACO'93
Agency Services Division (NIA)
National Archives
Washington, DC 20408
In block #16 of the SF-182 please indicate your top
four choices for the group sessions, in order of
preference. Assignments will be made on a first
come, first serve basis. Please register early -
conference enrollment is limited to 270 participants.
For More Information
If you have questions about the conference
program, contact Katherine Coram at (202) 501-
6019. Questions about registration may be directed
to Truedence Glenn at (202) 501) 6017. *
APRIL 1993
7
INFOACCESS
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Electronic Records Policy Review
The National Records Management
Program (NRMP) has completed the
first step in its review of the Agency's
electronic records management policies.
The goal of the first phase was to
review Federal regulations, present
and proposed, for electronic records
management requirements. The second
step was to look at other Federal
agencies to see what they had
incorporated into their directives
systems concerning electronic records
management. The report is available
from the NRMP by contacting Joe
Moeltner (contractor) at (202) 260-5272
or on AII-in-1 at MOELTNER. JOSEPH.
Records Management Council
At its March meeting, the
Headquarters Records Management
Council (RMC) heard a presentation by
the Agency Historian's Office on the
historical program and plans for the
future. The RMC discussed the NRMP's
plans to review the records schedules,
Chapter 10 (Records Management)
of the IRM Manual, and the records
management manual itself.
Headquarters programs provided
an overview of their progress in
implementing their action plans in
response to the National Archives and
Records Administration evaluation. The
next CouncH meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, April 27th at 1:30 pm in the
Information Management and Services
Division conference room (WSM
M2003).
Chapter 10 Draft Sent for
Comment
The NRMP circulated a draft of its
revised Chapter 10 (Records
Management) of the IRM Manual
(Directive 2100) for informal comment.
Comments are due April 13th. Following
incorporation of comments, the NRMP
plans to circulate the revised draft chapter
for green border review.
Documents Available From NRMP
Recently NARA issued a revised
version of Disposition of Federal Records.
The new and expanded version will
provide a basic framework for EPA's
efforts to inventory its records over the
next two years. [See page 9 for more
information on this new NARA handbook.]
The NRMP has reprinted Regional
Records Management Operating
Procedures. The volume is a basic guide
to establishing a records management
program, and the information in it can be
used by all Agency programs not just
Regional offices. Copies of both of these
documents are available from the NRMP
by contacting Joe Moeltner (contractor)
at (202) 260-5272 or on AII-in-1 at
MOELTNER.JOSEPH.
Records
Mgmt
101
Records Management Training
The next records management training
workshop has been scheduled for
June 16-17,1993. The workshop is
targeted to clerical and administrative staff
INFOACCESS
APRIL 1993
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HQ Update from page 8
responsible for the management and
maintenance of files. It will cover training on
files maintenance and disposition, including
techniques and practices used in filing records,
maintaining the records once they have been
filed, and the retirement, disposition and retrieval
of inactive records from the Federal records
center.
The NRMP, which sponsors the workshop,
recommends that anyone who has not attended
one of these training workshops in three years
should plan to attend. The cost of the 2-day
workshop is $150; send your SF-182 to Debora
Dorsey at PM-224. If you have any questions
about the training, contact Harold Webster at
(202) 260-5912 or Debora Dorsey at
(202)260-6678. *
NRMP
User Survey
The National Records
Management Program (NRMP)
is preparing to conduct a
Customer Survey
of agency records
management staff. NRMP wants
to know what EPA records
managers think about its
services and publications, and it
would like suggestions for
improving those services. Look
kfor the User Survey form in the
June issue of
INFOACCESS.

New NARA Publication..
Disposition of Federal Records: A Records
Management Handbook
This handbook explains how to establish,
manage, and operate a records disposition
program within a Federal agency. It emphasizes
the necessity of each agency's developing,
implementing, and updating a records schedule
for all agency records, regardless of media or
location. The handbook explains how to evaluate
a records disposition program in order to make
improvements, and it describes NARA's role
in helping agencies comply with laws and
regulations regarding records disposition and
other aspects of records management.
The appendices contain relevant laws and
regulations, appraisal guidelines for permanent
records, a glossary of records disposition terms, a
listing and description of NARA's records
administration publications, and a list of Federal
records centers and regional archives. The
frequent repetitions, summaries, and cross-
references are intended to facilitate use of this
edition for instructional purposes as well as for
self-study.
The Information in this item was taken from the
Foreword to the handbook, which was written by
Richard A. Wire, of the National Archives Office of
Records Administration, with advice and
assistance from Frank B. Evans, William H. Leary,
and Katherine V. Coram.
Copies of Disposition of Federal Records
can be obtained from Joe Moeltner (contractor)
at (202) 260-5272, or on AII-in-1 at
MOELTNER.JOSEPH. *
APRIL 1993
INFOACCESS
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( Around the Records Network )
This section of INFOACCESS is used to report on upcoming meetings and projects
currently underway in the Regions, Laboratories, and Headquarters. The INFOACCESS
staff would like to encourage all records management staff at the Agency to share news
and information about current projects with the INFOACCESS readers. Anyone with
contributions for this column can contact Mary Hoffman (contractor), Network
Coordinator, at (202) 260-7762 or at Hoffman.Mary on AII-in-1.
Cincinnati's New Records Management
Advisory Committee
A Records Management Advisory Committee,
including designated Records Liaisons from each
division and laboratory at the Research Center, was
established in January. The Committee, which plans
to meet monthly, will provide guidance and
direction in developing and maintaining a records
management program that is in compliance with
EPA guidelines and regulations. Attendees at the
first meeting, held in February, heard an overview of
the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) evaluation of EPA's records management,
program, followed by a briefing about how EPA and
AWBERC are responding to the evaluation. Sarah
Wills-Dubose (contractor), Records Manager,
presented an introduction to basic records
management principles and definitions.
Tower Records Center
Region 4's Tower Records Center was opened
early in December. The Center, which is located on
the first floor of the "tower building," was set up to
handle active records from various programs.
[Currently the Region has separate records centers
for Superfund, RCRA and ORC records, but nothing
for Regional records.] The Center will hold semi-
active records that are not needed on a daily basis,
but which are not yet ready for transfer to the
Federal records center.
Regional records staff are gradually moving
records into the Center. Due to the temporary
location of other Regional staff in the Center, staff
do not yet have full access to the space. They
have access to the shelving areas and limited
access to office space. Eventually the non-records
management staff will vacate the Center, and the
rest of the records staff will move in.
Regional records management staff have been
conducting an active program of briefings and
training sessions for Regional staff to increase their
understanding of records management practices.
They recently conducted a multi-media presentation
INFOACCESS
10
APRIL 1993
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on the Regional records program for selected
tract records staff. The presentation covered the
^irpose, history, accomplishments, and types of
activities included in the records program.
Region 7's New Records Center
Regional records management staff have been
working with program staff to transfer records to the
new records center. Once all the boxes of files have
been unpacked and shelved in their appropriate
places, then the staff will begin to work with program
staff to review materials still stored in program
offices. The goal is to determine whether there are
additional records that should be moved to the
Regional Records Center, or if there are records
that should be transferred to the Federal records
center. There are tentative plans for an Open
House, but it will probably be postponed until after
the new Regional Administrator is selected.
New OSW Records Documentation
Records/Information Management staff in the
Office of Solid Waste (OSW) at Headquarters have
produced a draft Permits and State Programs
Division (PSPD) File Plan and Guidance Manual.
The new file plan and guidance reflects the
Agency's filing requirements and the new records
disposition schedules. The Manual includes all
appropriate documentation (i.e. file plan, file
guidance, user notes), to assure a smooth transition
from the old system to the new one. The staff is
now working on an action plan for the review and
implementation of the file plan.
The staff have also developed a draft Records
Management Basics Training Package. The
Package includes a guideline on the Records
Management Life Cycle, a list of common questions
and answers, information about disposition
schedules, and other NARA information. The
training package is intended to give EPA staff a
tosic understanding of their records management
Wsponsibilities.
Working with the Office of
Regional Counsel (ORC)
At Headquarters, Mike Miller, the Agency
Records Officer is working with Office of General
Counsel (OGC) and Office of Regional Counsel
(ORC) on issues relating to electronic mail. A few of
the Regions have also begun to work with the ORC
on a number of records management issues.
In Region 4, records management staff have
been working with ORC attorneys to help them
coordinate the task of transferring cases
between Agency staff attorneys. The records
managers have advised the attorneys to organize
their case materials according to the Regional file
structure before effecting any transfers of files,
and subsequently they have noticed a significant
increase in requests for new file folders. They have
also established a small records center specifically
for ORC records.
Records management staff in Region 1 are
working with the ORC on a few different projects.
One project involves the determination of landmark
status for enforcement case files, a topic that
generated a great deal of discussion at a recent
Regional records management teleconference.
[We hope to report on this project in a future issue
of INFOACCESS.] Another project involves a
review of the process for witnessed destruction of
selected, recyclable, obsolete Privacy Act-protected
records. *
APRIL 1993 nfl INFOACCESS
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Check your Mailbox...
Three National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) bulletins were recently distributed
to Agency records managers. If you would like to obtain a copy of any of these titles, contact
^lp» Moeltner (contractor) Records Support, at (202) 260-5272, or on email at Moeltner. Joseph. v
~	NARA Memorandum to Agency Records Officers: Armstrong v.
Executive Office of the President, Litigation on Electronic Records
The memorandum addresses a recent determination by Judge Richey that White House procedures
for handling electronic mail (email) did not provide for the appropriate retention of email transaction data.
See the article on page 4 of this issue for a detailed discussion of the memo.
~	NARA Bulletin No. 93-3: Use of optical disk systems to store
permanent Federal records
This bulletin restates NARA policy regarding the use of optical disk technology for the storage of
permanent records that are designated for preservation as part of the National Archives of the United
States. The same policy applies to unscheduled records that may be appraised as permanent. '
Because of the hardware and software dependence of current optical disk systems and the absence
of standards that ensure the portability of data from one system to another, NARA cannot accession
permanent records stored on optical disks at this time. Until the development of data portability
standards, permanent records stored on optical disks must be transferred to the National Archives on
paper, microforms, magnetic tape, or 3480 class tape cartridges. Microforms must conform to the
requirements of 36 CFR Part 1230. Magnetic tapes and 3480 class tape cartridges must conform to
the requirements of 36 CFR 1228.188.
Reminding agencies of the requirements for transferring permanent records to the National Archives
is not intended to discourage the use of optical disk technology. NARA recognizes the potential benefits
of this technology for storing and retrieving large quantities of information.
Questions about this policy may be directed to the Office of Record Administration, at (202) 501 -6000
or Mike Miller, Agency Records Officer, at (202) 260-5911.
~	NARA Bulletin No. 93-4: Reimbursable mlcrographlc
services and fee schedule
This bulletin provides information on reimbursable micrographic (microfilm) services provided by
NARA Federal records centers for Federal agencies and issues the fee schedule for such services.
Federal records centers offer a wide range of micrographic services to Federal agencies. Bulletin 93-4
includes a schedule of micrographic services, and a list of Federal records centers and the micrographic
services they offer, including micrographic surveys, filming, auxiliary services, special requests and
micrographic workshops. Information concerning the availability of services may be obtained from any
center or from the Office of Federal Records Centers in Washington, DC.
Basic fees for microfilming services are also described, as well as additional charges for mailing or
transportation costs incurred. If the cost of performing the services increases or decreases during the
work, the Federal records center will negotiate an equitable price adjustment with the agency. Additional
charges for document preparation may be required, depending on the type and condition of the
documents, and the agency's need for NARA to examine, index, or arrange the documents.
For further information about micrographic services, contact the Office of Federal Records Centers,
policy and Systems Division, at (202) 653-8376. ft 			
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