Records Management with a Backbone

In his Memorandum on Managing Government Records,  President Obama stated “…proper records management is the backbone of open Government.”  The Memorandum began an executive branch wide effort to reform records management policies and practices and required each agency to:

identify a senior official responsible for records
provide plans for improving or maintaining its records management program, especially electronic records; and
suggest obstacles to sound, cost effective management policies and practices

Finally, the Memorandum mandates that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and I issue a Records Management Directive which focuses on:

creating a Government wide records management framework that is more efficient and cost effective
promoting records management policies and practices that enhance the capability of agencies to fulfill their statutory missions
maintaining accountability through documentation of agency actions
increasing open Government and appropriate access to Government records
supporting agency compliance with applicable legal requirements related to the preservation of information relevant to litigation; and
transitioning from paper-based records management to electronic records management where feasible.

I am pleased to report that this morning Jeffrey Zients, Acting Director of OMB and I issued the Managing Government Records Directive.  With lots of hard work on the part of National Archives and Records Administration, White House, Federal agency staffs and stakeholder groups, the directive charts new directions… [ Read all ]