Team,

I need some help and would appreciate any thoughts.

The Navy housing office in Hawaii is interested in scanning all of their housing records and then discarding the originals. They have no permanent records, but some ten year records.

What is the authority for them to use the electronic copies as their official records? Do they need to get permision from anyone?

Thanks.

Bob

-- Anonymous, January 26, 1999

Answers

If these are indead temporary records under the disposition authority contained in SECNAVINST 5212.5D, no special authority is probably needed. If you are not sure, suggest you have Mr. Hammond contact Dr. Richard Wire, Appraisal Archivist for Navy Records, at (301) 713-7110, ext 260. He can authoritatively answer his question.

-- Anonymous, January 26, 1999

Bob- Great question to post on the forum. If the housing office needs any advice or information about batch scanning I have an excellent point of contact @ NAVAIR that could help them. NAVAIR has huge amounts of experience in scanning in thousands of paper documents across many different agencies. Let me know.

CHARLEY

-- Anonymous, January 27, 1999

Thank you all for the help. I contacted Dr. Wire at NARA, and he referred me to the NARA bulleting below. Though technically expired, it is still NARA policy. Paragraph 4.e answers the mail. Thanks again.

==== National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408

NARA BULLETIN NO. 94-5

July 20, 1994

TO: Heads of Federal agencies

SUBJECT: Use of optical disk systems to store Federal records

1. Purpose. This bulletin states 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.

2. Expiration date. This bulletin will remain in effect until July 31, 1996.

3. Background.

a. A growing number of Federal agencies are using optical disk systems for the management and dissemination of Federal information. Additional guidance has been requested from NARA concerning the relationship of NARA regulations on the management of Federal records to uses of optical disk technology.

b. This bulletin clarifies NARA policies on optical disks and records management and references additional NARA guidance and policies.

4. Interpretation.

a. At this time, NARA will accept permanent records for transfer to the National Archives on the following types of optical media:

(1) Optical disks which meet the requirements of NARA Bulletin 94 - 4, Use of Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) medium to transfer records to the National Archives;

(2) Analog videodiscs that typically contain photographs, provided that they do not require any interactive software or nonstandardized equipment. Original photographs appraised as permanent and copied onto a videodisc must be scheduled for transfer to the National Archives along with a copy of the videodisc; and

(3) Audio compact disks.

b. NARA is continuing to study the technical concerns with long-term storage of permanent records on optical media, including migration of data to next generation equipment. NARA may make exceptions to this limited accessioning policy on a case-by-case basis before revising the policy in the future.

c. NARA encourages Federal agencies in using optical disk technology to enhance their information management operations. NARA recognizes the potential benefits of this technology for storing and retrieving large quantities of information. NARA encourages agencies to inform NARA of significant current or anticipated uses of optical media.

d. Agencies may use optical disk systems for the storage and retrieval of permanent records while the records remain in an agency's legal custody. However, agencies must obtain NARA approval before destroying original permanent or unscheduled records that have been copied onto an optical disk. (This includes permanent records approved for transfer to the National Archives on CD-ROM under the provisions of NARA Bulletin 94 - 4.)

Approval for destruction will be dependent upon the following:

(1) The usefulness of the form transferred to NARA in comparison to the original; and

(2) The nature of the media used to transfer the records to NARA. The transfer of permanent records stored on optical disks to the legal custody of the National Archives of the United States must be on a medium acceptable to NARA at the time of the transfer.

After permanent records have been copied onto an optical disk, if the records are no longer needed for current business in the agency, the records should be transferred to a Federal records center or, in the case of records on an electronic media, to the National Archives.

e. Records appraised by NARA as temporary may be stored on any medium, including optical disks, that ensures that maintenance of the information until expiration of its authorized retention period. This means that conversion of such temporary records to optical disks, and disposal of the original paper or other media, do not require NARA's approval.

5. Agency action.

a. Agencies seeking authorization to destroy permanent records after copying onto optical disks must submit a Standard Form 115, Request for Records Disposition Authority, to NARA's Office of

Records Administration (NIB), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. The agency must certify on the S 115 that either the optical disks meet the requirements of NARA Bulletin 94 - 4 or that the agency will convert the optical disk images to a medium that meets the standards specified in Subchapter B of 36 CFR Chapter XII before transfer to NARA's legal custody.

b. Agencies proposing the transfer of permanent records in CD-ROM format to the National Archives under the criteria specified in NARA Bulletin 94 - 4 must submit a Standard Form 115, Request for Records Disposition Authority, to NARA's Office of Records Administration (NIR), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. This requirement does not apply to records which are already scheduled in electronic format for transfer to the National Archives of the United States.

c. Agencies must obtain NARA approval for disposition scheduling for videodiscs and audio compact disks by submitting a Standard Form 115 for any Federal records contained on those media. The SF 115 should be submitted to NARA's Office of Records Administration (NIR), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.

6. Questions. Questions concerning this policy, including exceptions to the limited accessioning policy, may be directed to the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, 301-713-7100.

Trudy Huskamp Peterson Acting Archivist of the United States

-- Anonymous, February 09, 1999