Meeting on 1.2 Modernize Management of Government Websites

This meeting is relevant to the following initiative of the U.S. National Action Plan:

  1.2 Modernize Management of Government Websites.

Attendees

Government Offices Represented:

-National Archives and Records Administration

Civil Society

Patrice McDermott, OpenTheGovernment.org

Amy Bennett, OpenTheGovernment.org

Discussion

OpenTheGovernment.org staff spoke with a senior records management official at NARA to receive an update on the status of the reports agencies were required to submit per the President’s memorandum on record’s management:

(i)    describe the agency’s current plans for improving or maintaining its records management program, particularly with respect to managing electronic records, including email and social media, deploying cloud based services or storage solutions, and meeting other records challenges;

(ii)   identify any provisions, or omissions, in relevant statutes, regulations, or official NARA guidance that currently pose an obstacle to the agency’s adoption of sound, cost effective records management policies and practices; and

(iii)  identify policies or programs that, if included in the Records Management Directive required by section 3 of this memorandum or adopted or implemented by NARA, would assist the agency’s efforts to improve records management.

This meeting addressed what NARA heard from the agencies; discussion focused on agencies’ concerns about implementation of NARA regulations, what guidance was requested by agencies, and NARA’s plans to develop and provide this guidance. Intergovernmental collaboration is occurring on guidance, including regular meetings to update on the development of specific directions for the records modernization; a number of agencies have undergone audit of their records management policies and practices since last year.