Records Management

Records agency to DHS: Look into your watchdog’s use of text messages 

This comes after a hearing two weeks ago that raised concerns among some lawmakers about how the IG uses and retains records of electronic messages. 

  • By Courtney Bublé

DOD aims to leverage AI and automation in records management

The Defense Department wants to harness the powers of emerging technology to reduce user burden and enhance enterprisewide records management processes, according to a plan the agency released this week.

  • By Chris Riotta

Bipartisan group looks to fix 'hopelessly obsolete' classification system

Legislation is aimed at reducing over-classification and improving the handling of secrets.

  • By Courtney Bublé

Senate confirms Biden's pick to lead NARA

Colleen Shogan will now lead the National Archives and Records Administration.

  • By Courtney Bublé

Policing the wild frontiers of digital communications

Federal agencies need the right policies and the right tech to preserve employee texts, chats and instant messages.

  • By Angela Kovach

NARA publishes first update to cybersecurity records rules since 2014

The agency is issuing an update to the General Records Schedule, including new rules for packet capture and cybersecurity incident logs.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Maloney introduces presidential records reform bill

Outgoing House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) has a new bill meant to beef up compliance with White House records requirements.

  • By Natalie Alms

OMB to extend digital records deadlines by 18 months

Federal Chief Records Officer Laurence Brewer said an 18-month extension was being finalized to shift the completion of the governmentwide transition to electronic records to June 2024.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

‘Highly classified’ documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago prompt lawmaker calls for assessment

The House lawmakers requested a briefing for a review and damage assessment.

  • By Kirsten Errick

A new bill seeks to prevent the Secret Service from withholding records from its watchdog

“While I share the concerns of my colleagues about the actions of the current inspector general, it is also clear the Secret Service tried to impede the inspector general’s investigation into the events of Jan. 6,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

  • By Courtney Bublé

Text messages are federal records and must be saved, DOD orders

After news that Jan. 6 insurrection-related texts were wiped from former Pentagon officials’ phones, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks ordered data on department devices must be retained. 

  • By Heather Kuldell

A top senate democrat asks the defense watchdog to investigate a new batch of missing Jan. 6 texts

“I don’t know whether the failure to preserve these critical government texts from Jan. 6 is the result of bad faith, stunning incompetence, or outdated records management policies, but we must get to the bottom of it,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

  • By Courtney Bublé

How federal agencies can integrate artificial intelligence into records management

COMMENTARY | Agencies need to factor newer forms of digital records—like those Zoom meeting recordings—into their records management plans.

  • By Angela Kovach

A top senate democrat has asked DOJ to investigate missing Jan. 6 text messages

The Homeland Security watchdog has been under fire for its handling of the matter. 

  • By Courtney Bublé
Featured eBooks

GPO unveils key priorities for 5-year modernization plan

The Government Publishing Office is including a six-step process to emphasize its modernization and innovation efforts over the next five years.

  • By Chris Riotta

Ferriero to retire from National Archives

Archivist of the United States David Ferriero is retiring from his post in April after 12 years in the position.

  • By Natalie Alms

Lawmakers seek probe of veterans' records requests backlog

The National Personnel Records Center is facing a backlog of 550,000 requests that built up over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • By Natalie Alms

Hurricane Ida knocked out key NARA system

The system is back up and running, but the sustained outage could lead to delays in the approval of annual records transfer requests.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

It's time for government tech to address inequities in service delivery

Civil servants and vendors have traditionally approached government software with a mindset that has created administrative burdens – a confusing online application can stand in the way of someone getting healthcare, food assistance and unemployment insurance.

  • By Sha Hwang

Why VA must keep Vista healthy

The moratorium on further Vista investment put in place three years ago creates major strategic issues for the Department of Veterans Affairs as the agency looks to put Cerner's commercial electronic health record system in place.

  • By Roger Baker

Pilot IRS awards five scanning contracts

The IRS is using an innovative procurement program to test and deploy experimental solutions to digitize paper files as part of an agencywide effort to reduce the reliance on non-machine-readable documentation.

  • By Chris Riotta