Records Management of Employee E-mails 

In Reply Refer To: 
Mail Stop 807 

MEMORANDUM 

                                                April 26, 2002


To:                All Reston Employees 

From:                Ellen Findley //signed// 
                USGS Records Management Officer 

Subject:        Records Management of Employee E-mails 

In a follow-up to the e-mail sent out to all Lotus Mail Users in Reston on 
April 25, 2002, from the GS Lotus Administrators, I wanted to remind 
employees of their responsibilities in managing their e-mail as they 
clean-up their Lotus Notes mail files.  All employees (and contractors) 
are required by law to make and preserve their official records.  A proper 
record contains adequate documentation of the decisions, organization, 
functions, policies, procedures, and essential transactions of the USGS.  
In addition, the records must be properly stored and preserved, available 
for retrieval, and subject to appropriate approved disposition schedules. 

The Federal Records Act (http://www.nara.gov/nara/fedag.html) applies to 
e-mail records just as it does to records that are created using other 
media.  If you create or receive e-mail messages during the course of your 
daily work, you are responsible for ensuring that you properly manage 
them. 

The USGS's current e-mail policy requires that all e-mails or attachments 
that meet the definition of a Federal record (http://www.nara.gov/records/faqs/genfed.html#record) be added to the 
organization's files by printing them (including the essential 
transmission data) and filing them with related paper records. 

Remember, e-mail is intended for official and authorized purposes.  You 
must exercise common sense, good judgment, and propriety when using this 
government resource.  E-mail messages are not private and can be used in 
court as evidence. 

If you have any questions, please call Carol Wippich at (703) 648-7109 or 
e-mail her at cwippich@usgs.gov or me at (703) 648-7182 or 
efindley@usgs.gov.