[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9725-9727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-3326]


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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION


Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed records schedules; request 
for comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 
publishes notice at least once monthly of certain Federal agency 
requests for records disposition authority (records schedules). Once 
approved by NARA, records schedules provide mandatory instructions on 
what happens to records when no longer needed for current Government 
business. They authorize the preservation of records of continuing 
value in the National Archives of the United States and the 
destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking 
administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is published 
for records schedules in which agencies propose to destroy records not 
previously authorized for disposal or reduce the retention period of 
records already authorized for disposal. NARA invites public comments 
on such records schedules, as required by 44 U.S.C. 3303a(a).

DATES: Requests for copies must be received in writing on or before 
March 26, 2001. Once the appraisal of the records is completed, NARA 
will send a copy of the schedule. NARA staff usually prepare appraisal 
memorandums that contain additional information concerning the records 
covered by a proposed schedule. These, too, may be requested and will 
be provided once the appraisal is completed. Requesters will be given 
30 days to submit comments.

ADDRESSES: To request a copy of any records schedule identified in this 
notice, write to the Life Cycle Management Division (NWML), National 
Archives and Records Administration (NARA), 8601 Adelphi Road, College 
Park, MD 20740-6001. Requests also may be transmitted by FAX to 301-
713-6852 or by e-mail to [email protected]. Requesters must 
cite the control number, which appears in parentheses after the name of 
the agency which submitted the schedule, and must provide a mailing 
address. Those who desire appraisal reports should so indicate in their 
request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marie Allen, Director, Life Cycle 
Management Division (NWML), National Archives and Records 
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. 
Telephone: (301) 713-7110. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year Federal agencies create billions 
of records on paper, film, magnetic tape, and other media. To control 
this accumulation, agency records managers prepare schedules proposing 
retention periods for records and submit these schedules for NARA's 
approval, using the Standard Form (SF) 115, Request for Records 
Disposition Authority. These schedules provide for the timely transfer 
into the National Archives of historically valuable records and 
authorize the disposal of all other records after the agency no longer 
needs them to conduct its business. Some schedules are comprehensive 
and cover all the records of an agency or one of its major 
subdivisions. Most schedules, however, cover records of only one office 
or program or a few series of records. Many of these update previously 
approved schedules, and some include records proposed as permanent.
    No Federal records are authorized for destruction without the 
approval of the Archivist of the United States. This approval is 
granted only after a thorough consideration of their administrative use 
by the agency of origin, the rights of the Government and of private 
persons directly affected by the Government's activities, and whether 
or not they have historical or other value.

[[Page 9726]]

    Besides identifying the Federal agencies and any subdivisions 
requesting disposition authority, this public notice lists the 
organizational unit(s) accumulating the records or indicates agency-
wide applicability in the case of schedules that cover records that may 
be accumulated throughout an agency. This notice provides the control 
number assigned to each schedule, the total number of schedule items, 
and the number of temporary items (the records proposed for 
destruction). It also includes a brief description of the temporary 
records. The records schedule itself contains a full description of the 
records at the file unit level as well as their disposition. If NARA 
staff has prepared an appraisal memorandum for the schedule, it too 
includes information about the records. Further information about the 
disposition process is available on request.

Schedules Pending

    1. Department of the Army, Agency-wide (N1-AU-01-14, 2 items, 2 
temporary items). Records relating to equal employment opportunity 
surveys of Army military personnel. Included are reviews, final survey 
reports, recommendations, and electronic copies of documents created 
using electronic mail and word processing.
    2. Department of Commerce, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (N1-
241-01-1, 33 items, 33 temporary items). Paper and electronic records 
associated with electronic systems, including source records, reports, 
electronic data and scanned images, system backup files, and electronic 
copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. 
Systems pertain to such matters as tracking customer orders for patent 
information, agency equal employment opportunity cases, and the 
submission and processing of trademark applications.
    3. Department of Commerce, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (N1-
241-01-2, 34 items, 34 temporary items). Paper and electronic records 
associated with trademark electronic systems, including source records, 
reports, electronic data and scanned images, system backup files, and 
electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word 
processing. Systems pertain to such matters as the activities and 
actions of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the capture and 
maintenance of character based trademark data elements, and the 
publication of the agency's Official Gazette, a weekly issuance that 
notifies the public of activity in the trademark registry.
    4. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General (N1-509-
99-1, 8 items, 2 temporary items). Records of the Guatemala Review 
Panel. Included are administrative disks and diskettes, along with the 
scanned version of a small portion of the Panel's documents. Proposed 
for permanent retention are recordkeeping copies of documents 
accumulated during the review, along with related working papers, 
reports, and electronic and paper indexes.
    5. Department of Defense, National Imagery and Mapping Agency (N1-
537-00-4, 32 items, 27 temporary items). Paper, electronic, and 
audiovisual records relating to communications, including electronic 
copies of documents created using electronic mail and word processing. 
Records relate to general administration of communications, postal and 
mail services, and audiovisual activities. Still pictures, videos and 
motion pictures, audio recordings, and posters that document the agency 
mission are proposed for permanent retention.
    6. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for 
Children and Families (N1-292-01-1, 4 items, 4 temporary items). 
Records relating to the assessment of Year 2000 conversion issues, 
including assessment reports, correspondence, training materials, and 
electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and word 
processing.
    7. Department of Justice, Office of Alien Property (N1-131-00-1, 24 
items, 18 temporary items). Business records seized by the Alien 
Property Custodian, financial records relating to domestic 
corporations, audit reports, patent administration records, copyright 
inquiry and license case files, enclosures to estate case files, vested 
property case files and general subdivision correspondence files, 
records of the Philippine Alien Property Administration relating to 
claims and vested property, and records and reference material 
maintained by the Comptroller Division. Records were accumulated ca. 
1937-1964. Proposed for permanent retention are such records as reports 
of property owned by Germans in countries other than Germany and the 
United States, records relating to the Axis Replacement Program in 
Latin America, litigation records, and general correspondence relating 
to Jewish Restitution Successor Organization claims.
    8. Department of Justice, Office of Alien Property (N1-131-00-2, 14 
items, 6 temporary items). General inquiries and case files relating to 
patent and trademark matters, files relating to administrative matters, 
and case files handled by the Estates and Trusts Branch, with related 
enclosures. Records were accumulated ca. 1940-1972. Proposed for 
permanent retention are general subject files relating to patent, 
copyright, trademark, and other matters handled by the Alien Property 
custodian, general correspondence subject files relating to Alien 
Property Custodian program operations, general correspondence files 
relating to property matters, and files relating to legislation, 
executive Orders, policy and procedures, and instructions.
    9. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (N1-65-
00-5, 1 item, 1 temporary item). Hardcopy teletypes from other 
government agencies sent to the FBI from 1998 through February of 2000 
that are maintained in a control file in Classification 62, 
Miscellaneous Matters. Hard copies are also filed in the relevant case 
files, which will be retained or destroyed in accordance with 
previously approved disposition instructions. An electronic version is 
maintained in the FBI's Automated Case Support system, which will be 
scheduled at a later date.
    10. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons (N1-129-01-2, 11 
items, 11 temporary items). Records of the Office of Internal Affairs, 
including such files as complaints that do not result in the initiation 
of an investigation, investigative cases, and databases used to locate 
files, track the progress of cases, and generate reports and statistics 
on workload. Also included are electronic copies of documents created 
using electronic mail and word processing.
    11. Department of State, Bureau of Human Resources (N1-59-00-7, 44 
items, 37 temporary items). Records of the Office of Recruitment, 
Examination, and Employment, including records related to the 
recruitment of student interns and foreign service officers, the 
examination of foreign service candidates, the administration of the 
foreign service placement examination, and the placement of diplomats 
in residence. Also included are electronic copies of documents created 
using electronic mail and word processing. Proposed for permanent 
retention are recordkeeping copies of such files as policy and 
procedure documents, agendas, minutes, and annual reports of the Board 
of Examiners for the Foreign Service, and general subject files 
pertaining to examinations.
    12. Department of State, Bureau of Human Resources (N1-59-00-14, 16 
items, 16 temporary items). Records of the Office of Overseas 
Employment, including subject and country files, job

[[Page 9727]]

classification surveys, wage surveys, and claims files. Also included 
are electronic copies of documents created using electronic mail and 
word processing.
    13. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt (N1-53-
00-7, 21 items, 19 temporary items). Operational records including 
budget preparation documents, personnel listings, telephone logs, 
copies of internal regulations, project files, and Assistant 
Commissioner chronological files. Also included are electronic copies 
of documents created using word processing and electronic mail. 
Recordkeeping copies of regulations, procedures, and project files 
covering significant studies are proposed for permanent retention.
    14. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration 
(N1-15-00-2, 17 items, 13 temporary items). Input documents, optical 
disks, reports, and backup files relating to two registries. One 
pertains to veterans who may have been exposed to ionizing radiation; 
the other includes data on personnel who served in the Gulf War. Master 
data files and the related documentation associated with both 
registries are proposed for permanent retention.
    15. Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Managing 
Director (N1-173-00-1, 5 items, 3 temporary items). Input/source 
records in both electronic and textual formats and output reports 
associated with the Commission Registration System. This system 
contains basic information on entities doing business with the 
Commission, such as entity name, address, official contact telephone 
number, tax identification number, and agency-assigned registration 
number. The master data file and system documentation are proposed for 
permanent retention.

    Dated: February 1, 2001.
Michael J. Kurtz,
Assistant Archivist for Record Services--Washington, DC.
[FR Doc. 01-3326 Filed 2-8-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515-01-U