U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
FHWA Order M 1324.1A
This Directive was canceled July 29, 2013.
Order |
Subject |
FHWA Files Management and Records Disposition Manual: Chapter 5 |
Classification Code |
Date |
Office of Primary Interest |
M 1324.1A |
November 4, 1999 |
|
CHAPTER 5 - PERSONAL PAPERS
- PURPOSE. Officials of the Executive Branch of the Government maintain
official records documenting Government service. These officials may also
maintain personal collections of papers accumulated while in office. Both
official records and personal collections of papers are important; both
may have historical significance. This chapter will assist Government officials in making decisions about what
are records that must be incorporated in agency files and what may be
maintained and removed as personal collections of papers when the official
leaves office.
- WHAT ARE PERSONAL PAPERS? NARA regards personal papers as documentary
materials that are not used in the transaction of agency business (36 CFR
1222.26). It should be noted that personal papers may refer to or comment
on the subject matter of agency business, provided they are not used in
the conduct of that business. Traditionally, personal papers have included
the following categories of material:
- materials accumulated by an official before joining Government
service that are not used subsequently in the transaction of Government
business;
- materials relating solely to an individual's private affairs, such as
outside business pursuits, professional affiliations, or private political
associations that do not relate to agency business; and
- diaries, journals, personal correspondence, or other notes that are
not prepared, used for, circulated, or communicated in the course of
transacting Government business.
Note: Although not personal papers per se, other documents are
sometimes part of personal collections. These include extra copies of
records retained only for convenience of reference and other non-record
materials that may be removed with the approval of the Director of
Administration SBU.
- PROCEDURES. Personal papers should not be intermingled or interfiled
with office records. A personal file should be established, and those
documents that are personal papers should be claimed as personal and
placed in that file or identified for placement in that file. Materials
labeled "personal," "confidential," or "private,"
or similarly designated, but used in the transaction of public business,
are still Federal records subject to the provisions of pertinent laws and
regulations, despite any labeling that may be used. With the approval of the Director of Administration SBU,
Government officials may take non-record copies of documents, especially
self-drafted materials, those materials reviewed as a part of regular
duties, or otherwise acted upon. Any charge or fee for creating the extra
copies is within the discretion of the agency. Officials may be permitted by FHWA to retain and remove non-record
copies of documents provided that such retention would not:
- diminish the official records of the agency;
- violate confidentiality required by national security, privacy, or
other interests protected by law; or
- exceed normal administrative economies.
Note: When deposited in a research institution, such extra
copies can serve the needs of historical scholarship.
Note: The FHWA Records Officer (HAIM-10) can provide additional
guidance to assist officials in distinguishing between record and
non-record materials.
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Page last modified on October 19, 2015