[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 8, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54543-54546]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22336]


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NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

36 CFR Parts 1253, 1254, and 1280

[NARA-10-0004]
RIN 3095-AB68


Changes to NARA Facilities' Hours of Operation

AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is 
proposing to revise its regulations that provide NARA facilities' hours 
of operation. The proposed regulations will remove NARA facilities' 
hours of operation from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and 
establish procedures that NARA offices must follow when changing 
facilities' hours of operation. The proposed procedures will provide 
the public with advance notice of any proposed changes in hours and 
will include justification for the change in writing. Note that there 
are no proposed changes to hours of operation at any NARA facility at 
this time.

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule must be received by November 8, 
2010.

ADDRESSES: NARA invites interested persons to submit comments on this 
proposed rule. Comments may be submitted by any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: Submit comments by facsimile transmission to 301-837-
0319.
     Mail: Send comments to Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL), 
Room 4100, Policy and Planning Staff, National Archives and Records 
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver comments to 8601 Adelphi 
Road, College Park, MD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stuart Culy on (301) 837-0970 or Laura 
McCarthy on (301) 837-3023.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NARA facilities' operating hours are 
currently published in 36 CFR parts 1253, 1254 and 1280. Any proposed 
changes to facility operating hours are made through revisions to the 
CFR, which include publishing the proposed changes in the Federal 
Register for public notice and comment. The proposed revisions are open 
for comment for 60 days and after the comment period closes and 
resolution of any comments received the proposed changes are made final 
by publication of the final rule in the Federal Register. The hours of 
operation published in the CFR are also available on http://www.archives.gov, NARA's official Web site; by calling a dedicated 
telephone number for each facility that provides the public with the 
facilities' operating hours; and posted locally at each facility.

Proposed Revisions to the Current Regulations

    NARA is proposing to remove all facilities' hours of operation from 
our regulations and instead direct individuals to obtain that 
information from http://www.archives.gov, NARA's official Web site; 
dedicated telephone numbers; and local postings. The removal of the 
operating hours from the CFR will enable individual facilities to 
tailor their operating hours to their customers' needs in a more 
flexible and timely manner. Individuals will continue to be able to 
obtain hours of operation information at a facility's physical location 
and via telephone, including out-going voice messaging systems.
    Because the authority to change hours will reside with each 
locality, we are proposing to revise our regulations to incorporate a 
process for changing hours of operation that will provide the public 
with advance notice of a change in hours and will include justification 
for the change in writing. The procedures include posting the proposed 
changes at the facility in a public area; on http://www.archives.gov, 
NARA's official Web site; and on other online sites on which

[[Page 54544]]

the facility may have a specific presence.

Comments and Suggestions From NARA Staff and Public

    NARA sought input regarding these proposed changes from its staff. 
All five staff members who offered input agreed with the proposed 
changes. Multiple staff suggested minor changes to the text. One staff 
member was concerned that NARA's Web site would be the public's only 
method of determining a facility's hours of operation, but as noted 
above, individuals also have the option of calling a dedicated 
telephone number for the hours of operation or see the hours posted at 
the facility. Another staff member gave suggestions for using templates 
at all facilities so that communicating proposed changes in hours would 
be consistent nationwide.
    Before preparing the proposed revisions, we also sought suggestions 
from the public on how to improve communication with the public about 
proposed changes to facility operating hours. Two members of the public 
were concerned that the public should be informed in full why changes 
in hours of operation were being made. One of those same individuals 
and a third member of the public suggested that changes in hours of 
operation be communicated through a variety of outlets. We agree with 
these suggestions, and we believe our proposed notification method will 
provide an explanation and offer the public a method of commenting on 
the proposed changes. These are the objectives of this proposed rule, 
and are addressed specifically therein. This third individual also 
suggested that a facility, once it has changed its hours, be required 
to maintain those hours for a minimum of six months. While a specific 
timeframe is not included in this proposal, we feel that the concern is 
addressed in the proposed rule which prevents arbitrary changes and 
requiring evidence of a business need to change the hours of operation.
    This proposed rule is not a significant regulatory action for the 
purposes of Executive Order 12866 and has not been reviewed by the 
Office of Management and Budget. As required by the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act, I certify that this rule will not have a significant 
impact on a substantial number of small entities because it affects 
Federal agencies and individual researchers. This regulation does not 
have any federalism implications.

List of Subjects in 36 CFR Parts 1253, 1254 and 1280

    Archives and records, Buildings and facilities.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, NARA proposes to amend 
36 CFR parts 1253, 1254 and 1280 to read as follows:
    1. Revise part 1253 to read as follows:

PART 1253--LOCATION OF NARA FACILITIES AND HOURS OF USE

Sec.
1253.1 National Archives Building.
1253.2 National Archives at College Park.
1253.3 Presidential Libraries.
1253.4 Washington National Records Center.
1253.5 National Personnel Records Center.
1253.6 Records Centers.
1253.7 Regional Archives.
1253.8 Federal Register.
1253.9 Federal holidays.
1253.10 Notification process for changing hours.

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 2104(a).


Sec.  1253.1  National Archives Building.

    The National Archives Building is located at 700 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20408. Hours for the Research Center and 
the Central Research Room are posted at http://www.archives.gov. The 
exhibit areas' hours of operation are also posted at http://www.archives.gov. Last admission to the exhibit areas of the building 
will be no later than 30 minutes before the stated closing hour. The 
phone number for the National Archives Building is 202-357-5000.


Sec.  1253.2  National Archives at College Park.

    The National Archives at College Park is located at 8601 Adelphi 
Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Hours for the Research Center are 
posted at http://www.archives.gov. The phone number for the Research 
Center is 800-234-8861.


Sec.  1253.3  Presidential Libraries.

    Hours for the Presidential libraries' research rooms are posted at 
http://www.archives.gov. The Presidential library museums are open 
every day except Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1 (with the 
exception of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library which is only closed 
December 25). For more specific information about museum hours, please 
contact the libraries directly or visit the NARA Web site at http://www.archives.gov. Contact information for each library is as follows:
    (a) Herbert Hoover Library is located at 210 Parkside Dr., West 
Branch, IA (mailing address: PO Box 488, West Branch, IA 52358-0488). 
The phone number is 319-643-5301 and the fax number is 319-643-6045. 
The e-mail address is [email protected].
    (b) Franklin D. Roosevelt Library is located at 4079 Albany Post 
Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538-1999. The phone number is 800-FDR-VISIT or 
845-486-7770 and the fax number is 845-486-1147. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].
    (c) Harry S. Truman Library is located at 500 W. U.S. Hwy 24, 
Independence, MO 64050-1798. The phone number is 800-833-1225 or 816-
268-8200 and the fax number is 816-268-8295. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].
    (d) Dwight D. Eisenhower Library is located at 200 SE. Fourth 
Street, Abilene, KS 67410-2900. The phone number is 877-RING-IKE or 
785-263-4751 and the fax number is 785-263-6718. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].
    (e) John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library is located at Columbia Point, 
Boston, MA 02125-3398. The phone number is 866-JFK-1960 or 617-514-1600 
and the fax number is 617-514-1652. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].
    (f) Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum is located at 2313 Red 
River St., Austin, TX 78705-5702. The phone number is 512-721-0200 and 
the fax number is 512-721-0170. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].
    (g) Richard Nixon Library, California is located at 18001 Yorba 
Linda Boulevard, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-3903. The phone number is 714-
983-9120 and the fax number is 714-983-9111. The e-mail address is 
[email protected]. Richard Nixon Library, Maryland is located at 8601 
Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. The phone number is 301-837-
3290 and the fax number is 301-837-3202. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].
    (h) Gerald R. Ford Library is located at 1000 Beal Avenue, Ann 
Arbor, MI 48109-2114. The phone number is 734-205-0555 and the fax 
number is 734-205-0571. The e-mail address is [email protected]. 
Gerald R. Ford Museum is located at 303 Pearl St., Grand Rapids, MI 
49504-5353. The phone number is 616-254-0400 and the fax number is 616-
254-0386. The e-mail address is [email protected].
    (i) Jimmy Carter Library is located at 441 Freedom Parkway, 
Atlanta, GA 30307-1498. The phone number is 404-865-7100 and the fax 
number is 404-865-7102. The e-mail address is [email protected].
    (j) Ronald Reagan Library is located at 40 Presidential Dr., Simi 
Valley, CA

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93065-0699. The phone number is 800-410-8354 or 805-577-4000 and the 
fax number is 805-577-4074. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].
    (k) George Bush Library is located at 1000 George Bush Drive West, 
College Station, TX 77845. The phone number is 979-691-4000 and the fax 
number is 979-691-4050. The e-mail address is [email protected].
    (l) William J. Clinton Library is located at 1200 President Clinton 
Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201. The phone number is 501-374-4242 and the 
fax number is 501-244-2883. The e-mail address is 
[email protected].


Sec.  1253.4  Washington National Records Center.

    Washington National Records Center is located at 4205 Suitland 
Road, Suitland, MD (mailing address: Washington National Records 
Center, 4205 Suitland Road, Suitland, MD 20746-8001). The hours are 
posted at http://www.archives.gov. The phone number is 301-778-1600.


Sec.  1253.5  National Personnel Records Center.

    (a) Military Personnel Records. NARA--National Personnel Records 
Center--Military Personnel Records is located at 9700 Page Ave., St. 
Louis, MO 63132-5100. The hours are posted at http://www.archives.gov.
    (b) Civilian Personnel Records. NARA--National Personnel Records 
Center--Civilian Personnel Records is located at 111 Winnebago St., St. 
Louis, MO 63118-4199. The hours are posted at http://www.archives.gov


Sec.  1253.6  Records Centers.

    Hours for records center research rooms are posted at http://www.archives.gov.
    Contact Information for Each Center is as Follows:
    (a) NARA--Northeast Region (Boston) is located at the Frederick C. 
Murphy Federal Center, 380 Trapelo Rd., Waltham, MA 02452-6399. The 
telephone number is 781-663-0139.
    (b) NARA--Northeast Region (Pittsfield, MA) is located at 10 Conte 
Drive, Pittsfield, MA 02101. The telephone number is 413-236-3600.
    (c) NARA--Mid Atlantic Region (Northeast Philadelphia) is located 
at 14700 Townsend Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096. The telephone 
number is 215-305-2000.
    (d) NARA--Southeast Region (Atlanta) is located at 4712 Southpark 
Blvd., Ellenwood, GA 30294. The telephone number is 404-736-2820.
    (e) NARA--Great Lakes Region (Dayton) is located at 3150 Springboro 
Road, Dayton, OH, 45439. The telephone number is 937-425-0600.
    (f) NARA--Great Lakes Region (Dayton-Miamisburg) is located at 8801 
Kingsridge Drive, Dayton, OH 45458. The telephone number is (937) 425-
0601.
    (g) NARA--Great Lakes Region (Chicago) is located at 7358 S. 
Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL 60629-5898. The telephone number is 773-948-
9000.
    (h) NARA--Central Plains Region (Lee's Summit, MO) is located at 
200 Space Center Drive, Lee's Summit, MO 64064-1182. The telephone 
number is 816-823-6272.
    (i) NARA--Central Plains Region (Lenexa) is located at 17501 W. 
98th Street, Lenexa, KS 66219. The telephone number is 913-563-7600.
    (j) NARA--Southwest Region (Fort Worth) is located at 1400 John 
Burgess Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76140. The telephone number is 817-
551-2000.
    (k) NARA--Rocky Mountain Region (Denver) is located at Building 48, 
Denver Federal Center, West 6th Ave. and Kipling Street, Denver, CO 
(mailing address: PO Box 25307, Denver, CO 80225-0307). The telephone 
number is 303-407-5700.
    (l) NARA--Pacific Region (San Francisco) is located at 1000 
Commodore Dr., San Bruno, CA 94066-2350. The telephone number is 650-
238-3500.
    (m) NARA--Pacific Region (Riverside) is located at 23123 Cajalco 
Road, Perris, CA 92570-7298. The telephone number is 951-956-2000.
    (n) NARA--Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle) is located at 6125 Sand 
Point Way, NE., Seattle, WA 98115-7999. The telephone number is 206-
336-5115.


Sec.  1253.7  Regional Archives.

    Hours for regional archives research rooms, including extended 
hours for microfilm research only, are posted at http://www.archives.gov. Contact information for each regional archives 
facility is as follows:
    (a) The National Archives at Boston is located in the Frederick C. 
Murphy Federal Center, 380 Trapelo Rd., Waltham, MA 02452. The 
telephone number is 781-663-0144 or Toll Free 1-866-406-2379. The 
National Archives at Boston, Pittsfield Annex is located at 10 Conte 
Drive, Pittsfield, MA 01201-8230. The telephone number is 413-236-3600.
    (b) The National Archives at New York City is located at 201 Varick 
St., New York, NY 10014-4811 (entrance is on Houston Street, between 
Varick and Hudson). The telephone number is 212-401-1620 or Toll Free 
1-866-840-1752.
    (c) The National Archives at Philadelphia is located at the Robert 
N.C. Nix Federal Building, 900 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19107-4292 
(entrance is on Chestnut Street between 9th and 10th Streets). The 
telephone number is 215-606-0100.
    (d) The National Archives at Atlanta is located at 5780 Jonesboro 
Road, Morrow, GA 30260. The telephone number is 770-968-2100.
    (e) The National Archives at Chicago is located at 7358 S. Pulaski 
Rd., Chicago, IL 60629-5898. The telephone number is 773-948-9000.
    (f) The National Archives at Kansas City is located at 400 West 
Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108. The telephone number is 816-268-
8000.
    (g) The National Archives at Fort Worth is located at 501 West 
Felix St., Bldg. 1, Dock 1, Fort Worth, TX (Mailing address: P.O. Box 
6216, Fort Worth, TX 76115-0216). The telephone number is 817-334-5525.
    (h) The National Archives at Denver: The textual research room is 
located at Building 48, Denver Federal Center, West 6th Ave. and 
Kipling Street, Denver, CO. The telephone number is 303-407-5740. The 
microfilm research room is located at Building 46, Denver Federal 
Center, West 6th Ave. and Kipling Street, Denver, CO. (Mailing address: 
PO Box 25307, Denver, CO 80225-0307). The telephone number is 303-407-
5751.
    (i) The National Archives at Riverside is located at 23123 Cajalco 
Road, Perris, CA 92570-7298. The telephone number is 951-956-2000.
    (j) The National Archives at San Francisco is located at 1000 
Commodore Dr., San Bruno, CA 94066-2350. The telephone number is 650-
238-3501.
    (k) The National Archives at Seattle is located at 6125 Sand Point 
Way, NE., Seattle, WA 98115-7999. The telephone number is 206-336-5115.
    (l) The National Archives at Anchorage is located at 654 West Third 
Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501-2145. The telephone number is 907-261-7820.
    (m) The National Archives at St. Louis, the National Personnel 
Records Center archival research room is located at 9700 Page Ave., St. 
Louis, MO 63132-5100. The telephone number is 314-801-9195.


Sec.  1253.8  Federal Register.

    The location and business hours of the Office of the Federal 
Register are posted at http://www.archives.gov, and codified in 1 CFR 
2.3.


Sec.  1253.9  Federal holidays.

    (a) NARA research rooms are closed on all Federal holidays.

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    (b) The exhibit areas in the National Archives Building are closed 
on Thanksgiving and December 25.
    (c) The Presidential library museums are open every day except 
Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1 (with the exception of the 
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library which is only closed December 25).


Sec.  1253.10  Notification process for changes in hours.

    (a) NARA will follow the procedure outlined below when proposing to 
change hours of operations for research rooms, exhibit areas and 
museums, except as noted in Sec.  1253.10(d).
    (b) Changing hours of operations for research rooms, exhibit areas 
and museums may not be arbitrary. Proposed changes must be documented 
by evidence of a business need to change the hours of operation.
    (c) The notification process must proceed as follows:
    (1) Post a notice on http://www.archives.gov.
    (2) Post notices in areas visible to the public in their research 
room, exhibit areas or museum.
    (3) Issue a press release, e-mail notification, or other means 
normally used by that unit to notify the public of events at their 
location.
    (4) These notices will provide written determination justifying the 
change in hours.
    (d) In the event that emergency changes to hours of operations for 
research rooms, exhibit areas and museums are necessary, including but 
not limited to inclement weather, NARA units will give as much advance 
notice to the public as possible. Emergency notification will be posted 
at http://www.archives.gov.

PART 1254--USING RECORDS AND DONATED HISTORICAL MATERIALS

    2. The authority citation for part 1254 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 2104(a).

    3. Amend Sec.  1254.4 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:


Sec.  1254.4  Where and when are documents available to me for 
research?

* * * * *
    (b) The locations of NARA's research rooms are shown in part 1253 
of this chapter. Hours for research rooms are posted at http://www.archives.gov. Contact our facilities directly for information about 
their particular holdings. A facility or unit director may authorize 
that documents be made available at times other than the times 
specified.
* * * * *

PART 1280--USE OF NARA FACILITIES

    4. The authority citation for part 1280 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 2104(a).

    5. Revise Sec.  1280.62 to read as follows:


Sec.  1280.62  When are the exhibit areas in the National Archives 
Building open?

    The exhibit areas' hours of operation are posted at http://www.archives.gov. Last admission to the exhibit areas of the building 
will be no later than 30 minutes before the stated closing hour. The 
Archivist of the United States reserves the authority to close the 
exhibit areas to the public at any time for special events or other 
purposes. The building is closed on Thanksgiving and December 25.
    6. Revise Sec.  1280.92 to read as follows:


Sec.  1280.92  When are the Presidential library museums open to the 
public?

    The Presidential library museums are open every day except 
Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1 (with the exception of the 
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library which is only closed December 25). For 
more specific information about museum hours, please contact the 
libraries directly or visit the NARA Web site at http://www.archives.gov. Hours for the Presidential libraries' research rooms 
are also posted at http://www.archives.gov.

    Dated: August 31, 2010.
David S. Ferriero,
Archivist of the United States.
[FR Doc. 2010-22336 Filed 9-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515-01-P