National Archives and Records in the United States

The National Archives and Records Administration safeguards and preserves the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage; establishes policies and procedures for managing U.S.
Government records; manages the Presidential Libraries system; and publishes the laws, regulations, and Presidential and other public documents.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the successor
agency to the National Archives Establishment, which was created in
1934 and later, in 1949, incorporated into the General Services Administration as the National Archives and Records Service in 1949. NARA was established as an independent agency in the Federal Government’s executive branch of the Government by act of October 19, 1984 (44 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.), effective April 1, 1985.

Activities

Archival Program NARA maintains the U.S. Government’s most historically
valuable records, ranging from the Revolutionary War era to the recent
past; arranges and preserves records and prepares finding aids to facilitate their use; makes records publicly accessible online and in its research rooms; answers requests for information contained in its holdings; and provides, for a fee,
copies of records. NARA holdings include the records of the U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate, which are preserved and administered by the Center for Legislative Archives. Many important records are available in microfilm and on online at www.archives.gov. Archival records are maintained in NARA facilities
in the Washington, DC, area. Records of exceptional local or regional interest are
maintained in NARA archives located in other parts of the country. There are also
nine NARA-affiliated archives holding NARA-owned records and making them
available to the public.

Records Management To ensure proper documentation of the
organization, policies, and activities of the Government, NARA
develops standards and guidelines for nationwide management and
disposition of recorded information.

It appraises Federal records and approves disposition schedules.
NARA also inspects agency records and management practices, develops
records management training programs, provides guidance and assistance
on records management, and stores inactive records.