What is National Archives Record Administration or NARA?

The
National Archives Record Administration (NARA) is an independent federal government
agency of the United States of America (USA). NARA is also often referred to as
the National Archives. True to its name, the agency is responsible for the
preservation of government and historical records as well as for increasing
public access to such records.

Also Read | Documents from Trump White House yet to be submitted: National Archives

It is NARA
that legally publishes authentic and authoritative copies of presidential directives,
federal regulations and acts of Congress. One of the chief responsibilities of
NARA is to transmit votes of the Electoral College to Congress. NARA examines
the Electoral College and Constitutional amendment ratifications for prima
facie legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature.

History
of the National Archives

The
National Archives Record Administration was created by Congress in the year
1934. Prior to that, every government department was responsible for storing
and preserving its documents. This often led to loss of records which prompted
the need for a national document-keeping agency.

The first
chief administration of NARA was RDW Conner. The chief of NARA is referred to
as the Archivist of the United States.

In 1949,
the Hoover Commission brought NARA under the aegis of the then newly-formed General
Services Administration (GSA). The passing of the Records Administration Act of
1984 gave the National Archive independence from the GSA creating the organisation
it is today.

How does
NARA store documents?

The
National Archives stores documents in what are called ‘record groups.’ Records
include paper, microfilm, still photographs, motion picture as well as
electronic media. The US federal government’s permanent holdings are in possession
of NARA and stored in the National Archives Catalog.

Are NARA
documents public?

Most government
documents with the National Archives Record Administration are public. This is
because, federal documents do not have copyright protection. However, records
obtained from other sources may be protected by copyright laws or donor agreements.
NARA also stores some documents until they are declassified.

Also Read | Donald Trump kept 700 pages of classified documents, National Archives letter claims

What is
NARA’s tiff with Donald Trump?

The National
Archives has had a difficult time in obtaining presidential documents from when
Donald Trump was the President. Media reports and other sources claim that
Donald Trump would often tear off or flush documents which would then have to be
reconstructed for NARA.

Further, Donald
Trump is alleged to have delayed returning documents to the National Archives
after his term in office ended.