w:National Archives and Records Administration

{{Infobox government agency

| agency_name = National Archives and Records Administration

| nativename = NARA

| logo = NARA Logo created 2010.svg

| logo_width = 140

| logo_caption = National Archives logo, a stone eagle inspired by the architecture of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.{{cite web |website=National Archives and Records Administration |url=https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2010/nr10-114.html |title=Celebrate July 4 with New Logo and 1st Ever Parade Float! |date=June 30, 2010 |access-date=September 18, 2019 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407205932/https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2010/nr10-114.html |url-status=live }}

| seal = US-NARA-Seal.svg

| seal_width = 140

| seal_caption = Official seal

| formed = {{start date and age|1934|6|19}}
(Independent Agency April 1, 1985){{cite web |title=Archival Milestones |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |url=https://www.archives.gov/about/history/milestones.html |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=October 23, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051023122307/https://www.archives.gov/about/history/milestones.html |url-status=live }}

| motto = {{lang|la|Littera scripta manet}}
(Latin for "the written word endures"){{cite web |title=Guardians of Heritage: Introduction |url=https://www.archives.gov/files/about/history/sources/walch.pdf |website=NARA |author=Timothy Walch |access-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-date=December 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215191628/https://www.archives.gov/files/about/history/sources/walch.pdf |url-status=live }}

| preceding1 = National Archives and Records Service

| agency_type = Independent

| jurisdiction = U.S. Federal Government

| headquarters = National Archives Building
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., U.S.

| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q518155|region:US-DC_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| employees = 2,848 (FY 2021)

| budget = $397 million (FY 2021)

| chief1_name = Marco Rubio

| chief1_position = Archivist of the United States (acting){{cite news |last1=Irwin |first1=Lauren |title=Trump names Jim Byron to senior archivist role |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5148582-trump-names-jim-byron-to-senior-archivist-role/ |access-date=February 17, 2025 |work=The Hill |date=February 16, 2025 |archive-date=February 17, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250217041924/https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5148582-trump-names-jim-byron-to-senior-archivist-role/ |url-status=live }}

| chief2_name = Jim Byron

| chief2_position = Senior Advisor

| child1_agency = Office of the Federal Register

| website = {{official URL}}

}}

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch,{{Cite web |last=Stephanie |date=April 18, 2013 |title=What's the difference between the National Archives and the Library of Congress? |url=https://education.blogs.archives.gov/2013/04/18/difference-library-of-congress-and-national-archives/ |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=Education Updates |language=en-US |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328104722/https://education.blogs.archives.gov/2013/04/18/difference-library-of-congress-and-national-archives/ |url-status=live }} charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents that make up the National Archives.{{Cite web |url=http://www.archivists.org/publications/proceedings/accesstoarchives/07_David_MENGEL.pdf |title=Access to United States Government Records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration |last=Mengel |first=David |date=May 2007 |publisher=Society of American Archivists |access-date=April 29, 2019 |archive-date=July 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713151634/http://www.archivists.org/publications/proceedings/accesstoarchives/07_David_MENGEL.pdf |url-status=dead }} NARA is officially responsible for maintaining and publishing the legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential directives, and federal regulations. NARA also transmits votes of the Electoral College to Congress.{{Cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2017/fall/historian-electoral-college |title=Elections and the Electoral College |date=March 15, 2017 |website=National Archives |language=en |access-date=April 22, 2019 |archive-date=May 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506092706/https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2017/fall/historian-electoral-college |url-status=live }} It also examines Electoral College and constitutional amendment ratification documents for prima facie legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature.{{cite web |title=The Constitutional Amendment Process |url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitution/ |website=Archives.gov |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=November 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121061058/http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitution/ |url-status=live }}

The National Archives, and its publicly exhibited Charters of Freedom, which include the original United States Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, United States Bill of Rights, Emancipation Proclamation (starting in 2026),{{Cite web |last=More • • |first=Maggie |date=June 20, 2024 |title=Emancipation Proclamation to go on permanent display at National Archives in 2026 |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/emancipation-proclamation-to-go-on-permanent-display-at-national-archives-in-2026/3645725/?amp=1 |access-date=September 22, 2024 |website=NBC4 Washington |language=en-US |archive-date=September 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922121142/https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/emancipation-proclamation-to-go-on-permanent-display-at-national-archives-in-2026/3645725/?amp=1 |url-status=live }} and many other historical documents, is headquartered in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

Organization

{{Main|Organization of the National Archives and Records Administration}}

The mission of the National Archives is:

{{Blockquote

|text=We drive openness, cultivate public participation, and strengthen our nation's democracy through equitable public access to high-value government records.{{Cite web |date=2016-08-15 |title=Mission, Vision and Values |url=https://www.archives.gov/about/info/mission |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=September 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901132652/https://www.archives.gov/about/info/mission |url-status=live }}}}

The work of the National Archives is dedicated to two main functions: public engagement and federal records and information management. The National Archives administers fifteen Presidential Libraries and Museums, a museum in Washington, D.C., that displays the Charters of Freedom, and fifteen research facilities across the country.{{Cite web |title=Locations |url=https://www.archives.gov/locations |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901083852/https://www.archives.gov/locations |url-status=live }} The agency's online catalog makes available over 160 million records ranging from before the start of the republic to the modern government. However, the digitized records represent only a small fraction of the over 13 billion pages in the holdings of the National Archives.{{Cite web |title=Record Group Explorer |url=https://www.archives.gov/findingaid/record-group-explorer |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=August 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825164829/https://www.archives.gov/findingaid/record-group-explorer |url-status=live }}

File:ArchivesRotunda.jpg where, in-between two Barry Faulkner murals, the original United States Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and other American founding documents are publicly exhibited.]]

The National Archives governs federal records and information policy for the executive branch and preserves and makes available the records of the judicial and legislative branches. Agencies in the executive branch are required by the Federal Records Act to follow approved records schedules. All records maintained by the executive branch must be properly identified by NARA and authorized for eventual destruction or appraised to be of permanent historical or legal value to be preserved and made available to the public. Only two to three percent of records created by the federal government are deemed to be of permanent value. The Presidential Records Act mandates that all records created by the Executive Office of the President are to be preserved and transferred to the National Archives at the end of a president's administration.{{Cite web |date=August 15, 2016 |title=National Archives Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://www.archives.gov/faqs |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=August 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831161537/https://www.archives.gov/faqs |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=May 28, 2021 |title=FY 2022 Congressional Justification |url=https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/performance-budget/2022performance-budget.pdf |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=National Archives and Records Administration |archive-date=February 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222004051/https://www.archives.gov/files/about/plans-reports/performance-budget/2022performance-budget.pdf |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=August 15, 2016 |title=Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978 |url=https://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/laws/1978-act.html |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904130525/https://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/laws/1978-act.html |url-status=live }}

The Archivist of the United States is the chief official overseeing the operation of the National Archives and Records Administration. The Archivist not only maintains the official documentation of the passage of amendments to the U.S. Constitution by state legislatures, but has the authority to declare when the constitutional threshold for passage has been reached, and therefore when an act has become an amendment.

The Office of the Federal Register publishes the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, and United States Statutes at Large, among others. It also administers the Electoral College.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)—the agency's grant-making arm—awards funds to state and local governments, public and private archives, colleges and universities, and other nonprofit organizations to preserve and publish historical records. Since 1964, the NHPRC has awarded some 4,500 grants.

The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) resource for the public and the government. Congress has charged NARA with reviewing FOIA policies, procedures, and compliance of federal agencies and to recommend changes to FOIA. NARA's mission also includes resolving FOIA disputes between federal agencies and requesters.

History

Originally, each branch and agency of the U.S. government was responsible for maintaining its own documents, which often resulted in the loss and destruction of records. Congress created the National Archives Establishment in 1934 to centralize federal record-keeping, with the Archivist of the United States serving as chief administrator. R. D. W. Connor was chosen to be the first leader of the organization.{{Cite journal |last=Quigley |first=Sarah |date=2007 |title=Cultural Record Keepers |doi=10.1353/lac.2007.0017 |journal=Libraries & the Cultural Record |volume=42 |pages=81 |s2cid=161988764 }}

After a recommendation by the first Hoover Commission in 1949, the National Archives was placed within the newly formed General Services Administration (GSA). NARA was officially given its independence from the GSA with the passing of the Records Administration Act of 1984, thus giving birth to the institution that exists today.{{Cite journal |last=Bradsher |first=G |date=2015 |title=National Archives Independence 30 Years Ago |journal=Federalist (Society for History in the Federal Government) |volume=45 |pages=4–5 |via=EBSCOHost }}

In December 1978, millions of feet of newsreels were destroyed in a fire at an offsite location in Suitland, Maryland.{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forty-years-ago-126-million-feet-history-went-smoke-180970977/ |title=Forty Years Ago, 12.6 Million Feet of History Went Up in Smoke |last=Daley |first=Jason |website=Smithsonian |language=en |access-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903053120/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forty-years-ago-126-million-feet-history-went-smoke-180970977/ |url-status=live }} The reels, made of exceptionally flammable nitrate material, had been donated previously by Universal Pictures and were stored in special vaults intended to protect against fires. In total over 12.6 million feet of film was destroyed.

File:National Archives of the United States - Constitution.jpg on display at the archives.]]

In March 2006, it was revealed by the Archivist of the United States in a public hearing that a memorandum of understanding between NARA and various government agencies existed to "reclassify," i.e., withdraw from public access, certain documents in the name of national security, and to do so in a manner such that researchers would not be likely to discover the process (the U.S. reclassification program).{{cite web |title=Secret Agreement Reveals Covert Program to Hide Reclassification from Public |date=April 11, 2006 |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20060411/index.htm |publisher=National Security Archive |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=February 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204130355/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20060411/index.htm |url-status=live }} An audit indicated that more than one third withdrawn since 1999 did not contain sensitive information.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/27/washington/27archives.html?ref=nationalarchivesandrecordsadministration |title=National Archives Says Records Were Wrongly Classified |author=Scott Shane |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 27, 2006 |archive-date=July 24, 2016 |access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724084658/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/27/washington/27archives.html?ref=nationalarchivesandrecordsadministration |url-status=live }} The program was originally scheduled to end in 2007.

In 2008 the NARA announced that they would not be archiving government websites during transition, after carrying out such crawls in 2000 and 2004. The End of Term Web Archive was established in response to this.{{Cite journal |last=Webster |first=Peter |date=2017 |editor1-last=Brügger |editor1-first=Niels |title=Users, technologies, organisations: Towards a cultural history of world web archiving |url=https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:26187/ |journal=Web 25. Histories from 25 Years of the World Wide Web |language=en-US |volume= |pages=179–190 |doi=10.3726/b11492 |isbn=9781433140655 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021215748/https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:26187/ |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |via= |hdl=2318/1770557 |hdl-access=free }}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=National Archives |url=https://webharvest.gov/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20170918235110/https://www.webharvest.gov/ |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |access-date=January 18, 2021 |website=Congressional & Federal Government Web Harvests |language=en }}

In 2010, Executive Order 13526 created the National Declassification Center{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/declassification/ |title=National Archives and Declassification |publisher=Archives.gov |date=October 19, 2011 |access-date=April 29, 2013 |archive-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501211217/http://www.archives.gov/declassification/ |url-status=live }} to coordinate declassification practices across agencies, provide secure document services to other agencies, and review records in NARA custody for declassification.

A 2022 report by the National Security Archive revealed that the National Archives budget (when adjusted for inflation) has not increased since 1991 despite the exponential growth of electronic records created by the federal government.{{Cite web |title=U.S. National Archives' (NARA) Budget: The 30-Year Flatline {{!}} National Security Archive |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/foia-audit/foia/2022-03-11/us-national-archives-nara-budget-30-year-flatline |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=nsarchive.gwu.edu |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520235052/https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/foia-audit/foia/2022-03-11/us-national-archives-nara-budget-30-year-flatline |url-status=live }}

=First Trump Administration=

Under the first Trump Administration, the National Archives had significant difficulty maintaining historical records as the President would often rip, flush, and otherwise discard records,{{Cite news |title='He never stopped ripping things up': Inside Trump's relentless document destruction habits |author-first1=Ashley|author-last1=Parker|author-first2=Josh|author-last2=Dawsey|author-first3=Tom|author-last3=Hamburger|author-first4=Jacqueline|author-last4=Alemany|date=5 February 2022|language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/05/trump-ripping-documents/ |access-date=January 24, 2023 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211123106/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/05/trump-ripping-documents/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Broadwater |first=Luke |date=February 12, 2022 |title=Trump Flouted Presidential Records Law. Will He Face Consequences? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/us/trump-documents-criminal-law.html |access-date=January 24, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124182450/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/us/trump-documents-criminal-law.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Price |first=Jessica Taylor |date=August 11, 2022 |title=Trump's documents are way more than just evidence. They are property of the people |url=https://news.northeastern.edu/2022/08/11/trump-documents/ |access-date=January 24, 2023 |website=Northeastern Global News |language=en-US }} which would then have to be reconstructed and reclaimed by White House and NARA archivists. Additionally, according to multiple former staff, the President would ask to keep certain records that otherwise would be returned.{{Cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/10/trump-papers-filing-system-635164 |title=Meet the guys who tape Trump's papers back together |date=June 10, 2018 |last1=Karni |first1=Annie |work=Politico |access-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-date=August 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824054654/https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/10/trump-papers-filing-system-635164 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-avoided-briefings-flushed-notes-but-asked-for-documents-2022-8 |title=Though Trump had a reputation for avoiding briefings and flushing meeting notes, he would ask officials for documents: 'Can I keep this?' |date=August 13, 2022 |last1=Tangalakis-Lippert |first1=Katherine |work=Business Insider |access-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826052157/https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-avoided-briefings-flushed-notes-but-asked-for-documents-2022-8 |url-status=live }}

As part of its role in receiving and authenticating Electoral College votes, the agency intercepted and rejected forged certificates of ascertainment from Trump allies in seven states who were strategizing to overturn the 2020 presidential election.{{Cite web |author=Zachary Cohen and Marshall Cohen |title=Trump allies' fake Electoral College certificates offer fresh insights about plot to overturn Biden's victory |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/12/politics/trump-overturn-2020-election-fake-electoral-college/index.html |access-date=January 15, 2022 |website=CNN |date=January 12, 2022 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113003417/https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/12/politics/trump-overturn-2020-election-fake-electoral-college/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Wu |first=Nicholas |title=Jan. 6 panel ramps up investigation into Trump's state-level pressure |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/10/jan-6-committee-ramps-up-state-level-investigation-526752 |access-date=January 15, 2022 |website=POLITICO |date=January 10, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111135335/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/10/jan-6-committee-ramps-up-state-level-investigation-526752 |url-status=live }}

Upon leaving office in 2021, Donald Trump delayed providing material to the National Archives in accordance with the Presidential Records Act. In February 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the National Archives had notified the Justice Department that it found classified documents within boxes provided to them from the former-president Donald Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/us/politics/trump-archives-white-house.html |title=Material Recovered From Trump by Archives Included Classified Information |date=February 18, 2022 |last1=Broadwater |first1=Luke |last2=Schmidt |first2=Michael |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904112942/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/us/politics/trump-archives-white-house.html |url-status=live }} After further investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a warrant for a search of the residence in August 2022.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/08/us/trump-fbi-raid/from-the-archives-a-look-at-the-inquiry-that-led-to-the-raid-of-trumps-florida-home |title=From the archives: A look at the inquiry that led to the F.B.I. search of Trump's Florida home. |date=August 8, 2022 |last1=Haberman |first1=Maggie |last2=Schmidt |first2=Michael |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810021016/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/us/politics/from-the-archives-a-look-at-the-inquiry-that-led-to-the-raid-of-trumps-florida-home.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Politi |first1=James |last2=Weaver |first2=Courtney |title=Donald Trump says FBI agents have raided his Mar-a-Lago residence |url=https://www.ft.com/content/68ef537c-b388-4a9f-a621-17e63b044e72 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/68ef537c-b388-4a9f-a621-17e63b044e72 |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |website=Financial Times |date=August 9, 2022 |access-date=August 9, 2022 }}

=Second Trump Administration=

In February 2025, early in his second administration, Trump fired archivist Colleen Shogan. Deputy archivist William J. Bosanko then became acting archivist, but he and several other NARA staff members announced they would be resigning. On February 16, Trump announced that Jim Byron would be serving as senior advisor to acting archivist, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In an email sent to National Archives staff in February 2025, Byron stated that NARA "is strategically examining its operations agency-wide to ensure that it makes the best use of the funds it has been given by the American taxpayers and that all of its operations closely track with its mission and Congressional statutes."{{Cite news |last=Swenson |first=Alie |last2=Fields |first2=Gary |date=February 26, 2025 |title=The National Archives is nonpartisan but has found itself targeted by Trump |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-archives-firings-layoffs-historical-recordkeeping-559027fdd2f634263bea7774a78d66fe |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250403145721/https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-archives-firings-layoffs-historical-recordkeeping-559027fdd2f634263bea7774a78d66fe |archive-date=April 3, 2025 |work=Associated Press}}

List of Archivists

Records

File:National Archives. Washington, D.C., Nov. 22. After leaving the humidifying chamber, the documents are brought to the special ironers to take all remaining wrinkles out LCCN2016876649.jpg

NARA's holdings are classed into "record groups" reflecting the governmental department or agency from which they originated.{{Cite web |date=August 15, 2016 |title=Record Group Concept |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/index-numeric/concept.html |access-date=September 16, 2020 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=August 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815094053/http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/index-numeric/concept.html |url-status=live }} Records include paper documents, microfilm, still pictures, motion pictures, and electronic media.

Archival descriptions of the permanent holdings of the federal government in the custody of NARA are stored in the National Archives Catalog.{{cite web |last=NARA |title=The National Archives Catalog |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog/ |access-date=May 6, 2016 |archive-date=May 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506043339/https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog/ |url-status=live }} The archival descriptions include information on traditional paper holdings, electronic records, and artifacts.{{cite web |last=NARA |title=Open Government at the National Archives |url=https://www.archives.gov/open/dataset-arc.html |access-date=December 13, 2012 |archive-date=December 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202003506/http://www.archives.gov/open/dataset-arc.html |url-status=live }} {{As of|December 2012|post=,}} the catalog consisted of about 10 billion logical data records describing 527,000 artifacts and encompassing 81% of NARA's records. There are also 922,000 digital copies of already digitized materials.{{cite web |last=NARA |title=About Archival Research Catalog (ARC) |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/arc/about-arc.html |access-date=December 13, 2012 |archive-date=December 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213014824/http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/about-arc.html |url-status=live }}

Most records at NARA are in the public domain, as works of the federal government are excluded from copyright protection. However, records from other sources may still be protected by copyright or donor agreements.{{cite web |title=Copyright, Permissions and Restrictions Notice |url=https://www.archives.gov/global-pages/privacy.html |publisher=archives.gov |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=March 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302125544/http://archives.gov/global-pages/privacy.html |url-status=live }} Executive Order 13526 directs originating agencies to declassify documents if possible before shipment to NARA for long-term storage,Section 3.2 (d) but NARA also stores some classified documents until they can be declassified. Its Information Security Oversight Office monitors and sets policy for the U.S. government's security classification system.

= Genealogical requests =

File:1930_Census_Record_at_Naval_Station_Great_Lakes.jpg, Lake County, Illinois]]

Most people who access records at NARA are genealogists or family historians.{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2016 |title=Why Visit the National Archives? |url=https://www.archives.gov/locations/why-visit |access-date=September 25, 2020 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=August 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825164832/https://www.archives.gov/locations/why-visit |url-status=live }} While many records are available online through the National Archives Catalog,{{Cite web |title=Catalog |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=National Archives and Records Administration}} individuals can also request paper copies and microfilm scans. When applicable, the catalog will indicate a document's physical location in a National Archives facility.

Census records are among the most frequently requested at NARA, with the oldest entries from 1790.{{Cite book |title=The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy |publisher=Ancestry Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=1593312776 |editor-last=Dennis Szucs |editor-first=Loretto |pages=756 |editor-last2=Hargreaves Luebking |editor-first2=Sandra }} These records often contain information such as addresses and names of family members. However, all pieces of personal data are restricted for 72 years after collection; prior to then, federal agencies can only access statistical data.{{Cite web |last=Heimlich |first=Russell |date=April 9, 2012 |title=The '72-Year Rule' Governs Release of Census Records |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2012/04/09/the-72-year-rule-governs-release-of-census-records/ |access-date=September 25, 2020 |website=Pew Research Center |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705160658/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2012/04/09/the-72-year-rule-governs-release-of-census-records/ |url-status=live }} The newest unrestricted census is from 1950 and was released to the general public in April 2022. The subsequent census from 1960 will be released in April 2032.

NARA has also collaborated with Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, and Familysearch.org to scan microfilms and documents of genealogical interest.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Melissa |date=February 1, 2016 |title=A Primer on United States Naturalization Records |url=https://ngsmonthly.ngsgenealogy.org/a-primer-on-united-states-naturalization-records/ |access-date=September 25, 2020 |website=NGS Monthly: National Genealogical Society |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411034130/https://ngsmonthly.ngsgenealogy.org/a-primer-on-united-states-naturalization-records/ |url-status=live }} These digitization partners have expanded the number of genealogical sources on their respective websites, such as ship passenger lists and military records. NARA will eventually offer free access to all digitized sources through the National Archives Catalog.{{Cite web |date=August 15, 2016 |title=Microfilm Publications and Original Records Digitized by Our Digitization Partners |url=https://www.archives.gov/digitization/digitized-by-partners |access-date=September 25, 2020 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901031645/https://www.archives.gov/digitization/digitized-by-partners |url-status=live }} However, many file collections are not available for public viewing either through NARA or affiliate websites. This includes naturalization records and vital records that reveal extensive personal data. Depending on a requestor's verifiable relation to a subject of interest, restricted files may be obtainable under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).{{Cite news |last=Trent |first=Sydney |date=December 9, 2019 |title=The genealogy boom has hit a roadblock. The Trump administration plans huge fee hikes for immigration records. |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/05/genealogy-boom-has-hit-roadblock-trump-administration-plans-huge-fee-hikes-immigration-records/ |access-date=September 25, 2020 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514024519/https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/05/genealogy-boom-has-hit-roadblock-trump-administration-plans-huge-fee-hikes-immigration-records/ |url-status=live }}

Since 2005, NARA has held annual Genealogy Fairs with guest speakers and research workshops.{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2020 |title=National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair |url=https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair |access-date=September 25, 2020 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905170846/https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair |url-status=live }} These events are free of charge and are designed for interested individuals of any skill level. Materials from past Genealogy Fairs are available on the National Archives website.

= Founders Online =

In 2010, the Archives, in a cooperative agreement with the University of Virginia Press, created Founders Online, a website for providing free public access to the papers and letters of seven of the nation's most influential founders: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.{{cite web |url=https://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/FoundersOnline.pdf |title=Founders Online Review |last=Eckert |first=Ellen |date=February 10, 2015 |website=archivists.org |publisher=Society of American Archivists |access-date=January 31, 2022 |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504150119/https://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/FoundersOnline.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://founders.archives.gov/about/news#n2020-09-15 |title=Founders Online News: Papers of John Jay added to Founders Online |date=September 15, 2020 |website=archives.gov |publisher=Founders Online, National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-date=August 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814013304/https://founders.archives.gov/about/news#n2020-09-15 |url-status=live }} Launched three years later, in 2013, the website currently provides access to a database of 185,000 digitized documents that have been annotated through founding fathers papers projects at five university presses over the past 50 years.{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/06/13/papers-founding-fathers-are-now-online |title=The Papers of the Founding Fathers Are Now Online |last=Donohue |first=Keith |date=June 13, 2013 |website=obamawhitehouse.archives.gov |publisher=White House |access-date=January 31, 2022 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905170845/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/06/13/papers-founding-fathers-are-now-online |url-status=live }} In addition to the University of Virginia's, the presses include those at Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.{{cite web |url=https://open.upress.virginia.edu/projects/founders-online |title=Founders Online |website=upress.virginia.edu |publisher=University of Virginia Press |access-date=January 31, 2022 |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614215845/https://open.upress.virginia.edu/projects/founders-online |url-status=live }}

= Archival Recovery Team =

In 2006, the NARA's Office of the Inspector General created the Archival Recovery Team to investigate thefts and recover records stolen from the archive's collections.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-08-la-na-treasure-hunters-nu-20100809-story.html |title=Guardians of the nation's attic |author=Faye Fiore |date=August 8, 2010 |work=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |access-date=August 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912190044/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-08-la-na-treasure-hunters-nu-20100809-story.html |url-status=live }} Responsibility for non-law enforcement recovery activities has since been transferred to the NARA Office of the Chief Operating Officer.{{Cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/recover/about.html |title=About the Archival Recovery Program |date=November 10, 2016 |website=National Archives |language=en |access-date=April 29, 2019 |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809142656/https://www.archives.gov/research/recover/about.html |url-status=live }}

=National Archives and Records Administration UAP Collection=

In 2023, the 118th United States Congress and President of the United States Joe Biden passed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which included provisions of the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act.{{Cite web |date=July 11, 2023 |title=Schumer, Rounds Introduce New Legislation To Declassify Government Records Related To Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena & UFOs – Modeled After JFK Assassination Records Collection Act – As An Amendment To NDAA |url=https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-rounds-introduce-new-legislation-to-declassify-government-records-related-to-unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-and-ufos_modeled-after-jfk-assassination-records-collection-act--as-an-amendment-to-ndaa |access-date=September 13, 2024 |url-status=live |website=Senate Democratic Caucus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801061151/https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-rounds-introduce-new-legislation-to-declassify-government-records-related-to-unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-and-ufos_modeled-after-jfk-assassination-records-collection-act--as-an-amendment-to-ndaa |archive-date=August 1, 2023 }}{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2023 |title=A New Law Forces the U.S. Government to Collect UFO Sightings—But Not Release Them to the Public |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a46105999/uap-disclosure-act |last1=Mizokami |first1=Kyle |access-date=September 13, 2024 |url-status=live |website=Popular Mechanics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226035458/https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a46105999/uap-disclosure-act/ |archive-date=December 26, 2023 }} With enactment of the 2023 NDAA, NARA had been given a legal deadline of 60 days, for the Archivist to "commence establishment of a collection of unidentified anomalous phenomena."{{Cite web |date=December 7, 2023 |title=Government UAP records repository on the verge of becoming law, opened to public viewing |url=https://www.defensescoop.com/2023/12/07/government-uap-records-repository-on-the-verge-of-becoming-law-opened-to-public-viewing |last1=Harper |first1=Jon |access-date=September 13, 2024 |url-status=live |website=Defense Scoop |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209053624/https://defensescoop.com/2023/12/07/government-uap-records-repository-on-the-verge-of-becoming-law-opened-to-public-viewing/ |archive-date=December 9, 2023 }} According to NARA, the "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Records Collection will consist of 'copies of all Government, Government-provided, or Government-funded records relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin, and non-human intelligence (or equivalent subjects by any other name with the specific and sole exclusion of temporarily non-attributed objects).'"{{Cite web |date=May 24, 2024 |title=Guidance to Federal Agencies on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection - National Archives and Records Administration |url=https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/uap-guidance |access-date=September 13, 2024 |url-status=live |website=National Archives and Records Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521164022/https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/uap-guidance |archive-date=May 21, 2024 }} NARA specified that the only allowed reasons for non-compliance by any party in the Federal government was per section 1843 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 or Executive Order 13526, signed by President Barack Obama in 2009. The law continued in its mandate for the Archivist and NARA, of the detailed records and materials of non-human intelligence origins, "which shall be transmitted to the National Archives in accordance with section 2107 of title 44, United States Code."

Facilities and exhibition spaces

File:National Archives DC 2007s.jpg from Constitution Avenue]]

The most well-known facility of the National Archives and Records Administration is the National Archives Building (informally known as "Archives I"), located north of the National Mall on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. A sister facility, known as the National Archives at College Park ("Archives II") was opened in 1994 near the University of Maryland, College Park. The Washington National Records Center (WNRC), also located in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, is a large warehouse facility where federal records that are still under the control of the creating agency are stored. Federal government agencies pay a yearly fee for storage at the facility. In accordance with federal records schedules, documents at WNRC are transferred to the legal custody of the National Archives after a certain time; this usually involves a relocation of the records to College Park. Temporary records at WNRC are either retained for a fee or destroyed after retention times have elapsed. WNRC also offers research services and maintains a small research room.

Across the United States, the National Archives maintains both research facilities and additional federal records centers (FRCs). In many cases, the research rooms of regional archives are located at the same site as the federal records center, which is inaccessible to the public.

In April 2019 an unknown person set fire to an exterior wall of the archives building using a homemade incendiary device before firefighters were able to extinguish the flames.{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/authorities-are-looking-suspect-who-started-fire-national-archives-180972056/ |title=Authorities Are Looking for the Suspect Who Started a Fire at the National Archives |last=Katz |first=Brigit |website=Smithsonian |language=en |access-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826074028/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/authorities-are-looking-suspect-who-started-fire-national-archives-180972056/ |url-status=live }}

=Public–private partnerships=

In an effort to make its holdings more widely available and more easily accessible, the National Archives began entering into public–private partnerships in 2006. A joint venture with Google will digitize and offer NARA video online. When announcing the agreement, Archivist Allen Weinstein said that this pilot program is

{{Blockquote | style=font-size: 100%; | text=... an important step for the National Archives to achieve its goal of becoming an archive without walls. Our new strategic plan emphasizes the importance of providing access to records anytime, anywhere. This is one of many initiatives that we are launching to make our goal a reality. For the first time, the public will be able to view this collection of rare and unusual films on the Internet.{{cite press release |title=National Archives and Google Launch Pilot Project to Digitize and Offer Historic Films Online |date=24 February 2006 |publisher=archives.gov |access-date=March 31, 2011 |url=https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2006/nr06-64.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521223840/http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2006/nr06-64.html |archive-date=21 May 2011 }} }}

On January 10, 2007, the National Archives and Fold3.com (formerly Footnote){{cite web |url=http://www.footnote.com/ |title=footnote.com |publisher=footnote.com |access-date=November 23, 2011 |archive-date=August 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817043016/http://www.footnote.com/ |url-status=live }} launched a pilot project to digitize historic documents from the National Archives holdings. Allen Weinstein explained that this partnership would "allow much greater access to approximately 4.5 million pages of important documents that are currently available only in their original format or on microfilm" and "would also enhance NARA's efforts to preserve its original records."{{cite press release |title=National Archives and Footnote Launch Project to Digitize Historic Documents |url=http://archives.gov/press/press-releases/2007/nr07-41.html |publisher=archives.gov |date=January 10, 2007 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=February 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216195333/http://archives.gov/press/press-releases/2007/nr07-41.html |url-status=live }}

In July 2007, the National Archives announced it would make copies of its collection of Universal Newsreels from 1929 to 1967 available for purchase through CreateSpace, an Amazon.com subsidiary. During the announcement, Weinstein noted that the agreement would "...reap major benefits for the public-at-large and for the National Archives," adding, "While the public can come to our College Park, Maryland, research room to view films and even copy them at no charge, this new program will make our holdings much more accessible to millions of people who cannot travel to the Washington, D.C. area." The agreement also calls for CreateSpace partnership to provide the National Archives with digital reference and preservation copies of the films as part of NARA's preservation program.{{cite press release |title=Thousands of National Archives Films to Be Made Available Through CustomFlix Labs |date=July 27, 2007 |url=https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2007/nr07-122.html |access-date=March 31, 2011 |publisher=archives.gov |archive-date=May 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521224209/http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2007/nr07-122.html |url-status=live }}

=Social media=

The National Archives currently utilizes social media and Web 2.0 technologies in an attempt to communicate better with the public.{{cite web |title=Social Media and Web 2.0 at the National Archives |url=https://www.archives.gov/social-media/ |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=May 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513235801/http://www.archives.gov/social-media/ |url-status=live }}

On June 18, 2009, the National Archives announced the launching of a YouTube channel "to showcase popular archived films, inform the public about upcoming events around the country, and bring National Archives exhibits to the people."{{cite press release |title=National Archives Launches YouTube Channel |url=https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2009/nr09-95.html |date=June 18, 2009 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |publisher=archives.gov |archive-date=August 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811112744/https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2009/nr09-95.html |url-status=live }} Also in 2009, the National Archives launched a Flickr photostream to share portions of its photographic holdings with the general public.{{cite web |title=National Archives Photos on Flickr: FAQs |url=https://www.archives.gov/social-media/flickr-faqs.html |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=June 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623235323/http://www.archives.gov/social-media/flickr-faqs.html |url-status=live }} A new teaching-with-documents Web site premiered in 2010 and was developed by the education team. The site{{cite web |url=http://www.docsteach.org |title=DocsTeach |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201132411/https://www.docsteach.org/ |archive-date=December 1, 2023 }} features 3,000 documents, images, and recordings from the holdings of the Archives. It also features lesson plans and tools for creating new classroom activities and lessons.

In 2011, the National Archives initiated a WikiProject on the English Wikipedia to expand collaboration in making its holdings widely available through Wikimedia.

Controversies

In December 2019, the National Archives approved record schedules for federal records created by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which documented detainee sexual abuse and assault, death review files, detention monitoring reports, detainee escape reports, detainee segregation files, and Detention Information Reporting Line records. The schedules permitted ICE to destroy the records when they were no longer needed for business use.{{Cite web |last=Perrett |first=Connor |title=The National Archives can't allow ICE to destroy records about sexual assault and detainee deaths, a federal judge ruled |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ice-nara-cant-destroy-sexual-assault-death-records-2021-3 |date=March 13, 2021 |access-date=April 11, 2021 |website=Business Insider |archive-date=July 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713000807/https://www.businessinsider.com/ice-nara-cant-destroy-sexual-assault-death-records-2021-3 |url-status=live }} The schedules were approved without changes despite public outcry when they were first proposed in the Federal Register.{{Cite web |last=Peet |first=Lisa |title=NARA Responds to Controversial ICE Records Destruction Request |url=http://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=180910-NARA-Responds-ICE-Records-Destruction-Request |date=September 9, 2018 |access-date=April 19, 2019 |website=The Library Journal |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628195744/https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=180910-NARA-Responds-ICE-Records-Destruction-Request |url-status=live }} A lawsuit was brought against the National Archives by several plaintiffs, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the American Historical Association, and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. In March 2021, a federal judge for the District Court for the District of Columbia ruled against the National Archives that the records must be preserved stating, "NARA's approval of the schedule was arbitrary and capricious on the grounds that NARA failed to evaluate the research value of the ICE records and that NARA failed to address significant and relevant public comments."{{Cite web |date=March 12, 2021 |title=Judge Blocks ICE, Records Administration from Destroying Records of Sex Abuse, Detainee Deaths |url=https://lawandcrime.com/immigration/judge-blocks-ice-records-administration-from-destroying-records-of-sex-abuse-detainee-deaths/ |first1=Aaron |last1=Keller |access-date=April 11, 2021 |website=Law & Crime |language=en |archive-date=August 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828144505/https://lawandcrime.com/immigration/judge-blocks-ice-records-administration-from-destroying-records-of-sex-abuse-detainee-deaths/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics v. Nat'l Archives & Records Admin., Case No. 20-cv-00739 (APM) |url=https://casetext.com/case/citizens-for-responsibility-ethics-v-natl-archives-records-admin |access-date=April 11, 2021 |website=Casetext |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411034355/https://casetext.com/case/citizens-for-responsibility-ethics-v-natl-archives-records-admin |url-status=live }}

In January 2020, a Washington Post reporter noticed blurred protest signs in an image of the 2017 Women's March at the Archives' public exhibit. Some of the edited signs contained potentially offensive language, and some mentioned president Donald Trump. Besides censoring language, the changes altered the meaning of some protest signs. The agency defended the edits and said they were made "so as not to engage in current political controversy ," but admitted it "made a mistake{{nbsp}}... we were wrong to alter the image."{{Cite web |last=Acevedo |first=Nicole |date=January 18, 2020 |title=Blurring 'Trump,' other words in Women's March photo was mistake, National Archives says |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blurring-trump-other-words-women-s-march-photo-was-mistake-n1118426 |access-date=January 21, 2020 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807004043/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blurring-trump-other-words-women-s-march-photo-was-mistake-n1118426 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=January 19, 2020 |title=The National Archives used to stand for independence; that mission has been compromised |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/lifestyle/article/The-National-Archives-used-to-stand-for-14987990.php |access-date=January 21, 2020 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US |last1=Kennicott |first1=Philip |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411034123/https://www.sfchronicle.com/lifestyle/article/The-National-Archives-used-to-stand-for-14987990.php |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=January 21, 2020 |title=National Archives Doctored Photos of 2017 Women's March to Blur Messages Critical of Trump |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/21/national_archives_womens_march_doctored_photo |access-date=January 21, 2020 |website=Democracy Now! |language=en |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411034129/https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/21/national_archives_womens_march_doctored_photo |url-status=live }}

Notable thefts

In 1963, Robert Bradford Murphy and his wife, Elizabeth Irene Murphy were arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison for stealing documents from several federal depositories, including the National Archives.{{Cite web |url=http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/413/1129/36529/ |title=United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Robert Bradford Murphy, A/k/a Samuel George Matz, and Elizabeth Irene Murphy, aka Elizabeth Irene Matz, Defendants and Appellants, 413 F.2d 1129 (6th Cir. 1969) |access-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-date=September 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921115633/http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/413/1129/36529/ |url-status=live }}
In 1987, Charles Merrill Mount was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for stealing 400 documents from the National Archives.Churchville, V., & Saperstein, S. (August 16, 1987). "The fall from grace of an artist, author". The Washington Post.
In 2002, Shawn Aubitz pleaded guilty to stealing dozens of documents and photographs from the National Archives during the 1990s.{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-14-mn-32822-story.html |title=Man Admits Theft From U.S. Archives |date=March 14, 2002 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=April 19, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0458-3035 |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411034354/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-14-mn-32822-story.html |url-status=live }}
In 2005, Sandy Berger was charged with an unauthorized removal of documents from the National Archives; sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $50,000.
In 2005, Howard Harner was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $10,000 after stealing 100 documents from the National Archives.Carol D. Leonnig. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052601725.html Archives Thief Gets Two Years] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203140822/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052601725.html |date=December 3, 2017 }}, The Washington Post, May 27, 2005.
In 2006, Denning McTague was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $3,000 after stealing 164 documents from the National Archives.Eve Conant. [http://www.newsweek.com/catch-thief-national-archives-97741 "To Catch a Thief at the National Archives"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009215657/http://www.newsweek.com/catch-thief-national-archives-97741 |date=October 9, 2014 }}, Newsweek, May 4, 2007.
In 2011, Leslie Waffen was sentenced to 18 months in prison after stealing 955 recordings from the National Archives.Erica W. Morrison. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/leslie-waffen-ex-archives-worker-sentenced-for-stealing-selling-recordings/2012/05/03/gIQAX0f7zT_story.html "Leslie Waffen, ex-Archives worker, sentenced for stealing, selling recordings"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224135752/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/leslie-waffen-ex-archives-worker-sentenced-for-stealing-selling-recordings/2012/05/03/gIQAX0f7zT_story.html |date=December 24, 2017 }}, The Washington Post, May 3, 2012
In 2011, Thomas Lowry was permanently banned from the National Archives after he confessed to altering the date on a presidential pardon signed by Abraham Lincoln.[https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-57.html "National Archives Discovers Date Change on Lincoln Record"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916114452/https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-57.html |date=September 16, 2017 }}, NARA Press Release
In 2011, Barry Landau and Jason Savedoff were arrested and sentenced to {{frac|7|1|2}} years in prison for stealing ten thousand documents from the National Archives.[https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2012/nr12-133.html Barry Landau Sentenced to 7 Years for Thefts From National Archives, Other Institutions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202063141/https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2012/nr12-133.html |date=February 2, 2017 }}, NARA Press Release[https://www.archives.gov/research/recover/notable-thefts.html "Notable Thefts From The National Archives"], The National Archives Official Website ([https://web.archive.org/web/20170131005323/https://www.archives.gov/research/recover/notable-thefts.html Archived])
In 2018, Antonin DeHays was arrested for multiple thefts of military artifacts and records from the National Archives during the mid to late 2010s.{{Cite web |url=https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/01/12/historian-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-dog-tags-military-records-from-national-archives/ |title=Historian pleads guilty to stealing dog tags, military records from National Archives |last=Panzino |first=Charlsy |date=January 12, 2018 |website=Army Times |language=en-US |access-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905161539/https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/01/12/historian-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-dog-tags-military-records-from-national-archives/ |url-status=live }}Nina Strochlic. [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/national-archives-detective On the Hunt for National Treasures With America's Archive Detective] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411034400/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/national-archives-detective |date=April 11, 2022 }}, Atlas Obscura, August 16, 2019.
In 2020, Robert Rumsby was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation and fined $5000 for the theft of military artifacts from the National Archives.{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-0987790fb4cc4d400d4ca119c6b60a1e |title=Man gets probation for stealing WWII dog tags from archives |website=Associated Press News |date=January 22, 2020 |access-date=November 27, 2024 |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203232159/https://apnews.com/general-news-0987790fb4cc4d400d4ca119c6b60a1e |url-status=live }}

References

External links

{{commons category multi|National Archives and Records Administration|NARA images by state}}

{{Official website|https://www.archives.gov/}}
[https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog/ The National Archives Catalog]
[https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/ Prologue : Pieces of History] {{--}} The blog of the National Archives
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/albums U.S. National Archives] on Flickr
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/collections/72157641658964933/ Collection: Office of the Historian] {{--}} A collection that features historical photographs of buildings, sites, staff, events and other activities relating to the National Archives

[https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/national-archives-and-records-administration FederalRegister.gov] — "The daily journal of the United States government"
[https://webharvest.gov/ WebHarvest.gov] — Web harvests of Congressional & Federal Agency public websites
[https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/uap-guidance National Archives and Records Administration formal UAPDA compliance page] for government agencies and offices.
[https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps Research Topic: Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs)] at the National Archives.

Miscellaneous

[http://www.dcmemorials.com/Groups_Archives.htm Outdoor sculptures at the National Archives Building] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521051428/http://www.dcmemorials.com/Groups_Archives.htm |date=May 21, 2020 }}
[http://footnote.com/nara.php Footnote.com: NARA] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705193711/http://footnote.com/nara.php |date=July 5, 2008 }}
[https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/National_Archives_and_Records_Administration FamilySearch.org: NARA−National Archives and Records Administration]—research Wiki for genealogists
[http://www.ourarchives.wikispaces.net/ National Archives and Records Administration's Our Archives wiki] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211085630/https://www.ourarchives.wikispaces.net/ |date=December 11, 2019 }}—information about NARA + its archived records
[http://roaminghistorian.com/2015/06/05/things-to-do-in-dc-national-archives/ "Things to Do in D.C.—National Archives and Library of Congress"]—Roaminghistorian.com on visiting the National Archives