National Archives and Records Administration

"NARA" redirects here. For other uses, see Nara (disambiguation).

National Archives and Records Administration
NARA
Official seal
National Archives logo, a stone eagle inspired by the architecture of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.[1]
Agency overview
FormedJune 19, 1934; 90 years ago (1934-06-19)
(Independent Agency April 1, 1985)[2]
Preceding agency
  • National Archives and Records Service (GSA)
TypeIndependent
JurisdictionU.S. Federal Government
HeadquartersNational Archives Building
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., U.S.
38°53′33.6″N 77°01′22.6″W / 38.892667°N 77.022944°W / 38.892667; -77.022944
MottoLittera scripta manet
(Latin for "the written word remains")
Employees2,848 (FY 2021)[3]
Annual budget$397 million (FY 2021)[3]
Agency executives
Child agency
Websitewww.archives.gov Edit this at Wikidata

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch,[4] charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents that make up the National Archives.[5] NARA is officially responsible for maintaining and publishing the legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential directives, and federal regulations. NARA also transmits votes of the Electoral College to Congress.[6] It also examines Electoral College and constitutional amendment ratification documents for prima facie legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature.[7]

The National Archives, and its publicly exhibited Charters of Freedom, which include the original United States Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, United States Bill of Rights, Emancipation Proclamation (starting in 2026),[8] and many other historical documents, is headquartered in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

  1. ^ "Celebrate July 4 with New Logo and 1st Ever Parade Float!". National Archives and Records Administration. June 30, 2010.
  2. ^ "Archival Milestones". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Stephanie (April 18, 2013). "What's the difference between the National Archives and the Library of Congress?". Education Updates. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  5. ^ Mengel, David (May 2007). "Access to United States Government Records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration" (PDF). Society of American Archivists. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  6. ^ "Elections and the Electoral College". National Archives. March 15, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "The Constitutional Amendment Process". Archives.gov. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  8. ^ More • •, Maggie (June 20, 2024). "Emancipation Proclamation to go on permanent display at National Archives in 2026". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved September 22, 2024.