National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators

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National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators NAGARA is a professional association dedicated to the effective use and management of federal, state,

NAGARA is member-supported, member-driven, and member-responsive. NAGARA is governend by a board of directors that represent local, state, and federal governments. Most of its work is carried out through committees, task forces, and other groups which provide for board member input and participation. NAGARA's approaches ensure that it deals with immediate issues in a practical way that produces real solutions that its members can apply and use. Government at all levels is changing and adapting to meet shifting public expectations, service needs, resource levels, and changes in our society and economy. Its records and information resources are essential to the sound management of government. Records represent a major invenstment of time and technology, and the dramatic shift to creation and use of electronic records and information pose records management problems of unprecedented complexity and magnitude. Managing government records and information today is a demanding challenge that requires skill, dedication, and an understanding of management techniques and technology and a capacity to adopt new techniques to meet changing issues and needs. This is why NAGARA is so important to government records managers and archivists. We are the government records and information professionals.

Members of NAGARA:The 2026 NAGARA Annual Business Meeting was called to order today, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 1:0...
10/14/2026

Members of NAGARA:

The 2026 NAGARA Annual Business Meeting was called to order today, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. (EDT), by WebEx with an electronic ballot. Quorum was reached through the electronic ballot, with 389 members submitting ballots against a quorum requirement of 388. With all business completed, the meeting has been adjourned.

NAGARA members have adopted the Amended and Restated Bylaws, and all business on the ballot was approved:

Agenda for the 2026 Annual Business Meeting: approved (377 Yes, 1 No, 11 Abstain)
Minutes of the 2024 Annual Business Meeting: approved (352 Yes, 0 No, 37 Abstain)
Minutes of the 2025 Annual Business Meeting: approved (343 Yes, 3 No, 43 Abstain)
Amended and Restated Bylaws: adopted by two-thirds vote (356 Yes, 12 No, 21 Abstain)

Thank you to every member who submitted a ballot and took part in the governance of our association. Member participation is what makes NAGARA work.

Learn what changed in the Bylaws and why:
nagara.org/Bylaws-Amendments

NAGARA's purposes include encouraging the continuous exchange of information among government archives and records manag...
10/13/2026

NAGARA's purposes include encouraging the continuous exchange of information among government archives and records management programs. On October 30, we are putting that on the schedule with TWO "Talk'N'Treat" Networking Exchange breakouts.

Join us for our 2026 Fall Online Forum: "Ghouls, Goblins, and Governance: Mastering the Horrors of Information Management"

During these two breakout exchanges, attendees will be placed in virtual breakout rooms of about 20 people, working from three prompts:

- Chocolate Bar: something that went well, a highlight, or a strength.
- Sweet: a promising idea, an early signal, or a possibility for growth.
- Tart: something difficult, frustrating, or not working.

The first block reflects on your organization in light of Sessions 1A, 1B, and 2. The second reflects on Session 3, or on your organization's own journey with AI. No preparation, nothing to submit, no obligation to speak if you would rather listen.

This exchange happens naturally at an in-person conference, in hallways and over coffee. A virtual forum has to make room for it deliberately, and this is NAGARA's first attempt at doing exactly that online.

These are the only two blocks of the day that are live-only, so they happen once, not recorded.

$59 for NAGARA members
$159 for non-members. (Individual membership is $100, so joining pays for itself with this one registration).

Our thanks to Online Forum sponsors CivicPlus and KnowledgeLake.

Learn more or Register here: https://nagara.org/OnlineForums

If your work has solved a hard problem, tested a new approach, or taught you something the hard way, NAGARA wants to lea...
10/01/2026

If your work has solved a hard problem, tested a new approach, or taught you something the hard way, NAGARA wants to learn from you!

The 2027 Call for Session Proposals is now open. One call covers every NAGARA learning program next year:

- 2027 Annual Conference, Denver, Colorado | July 13-16, 2027
- Pre-Conference Workshops, half-day or full-day | Tuesday, July 13, 2027
- Online Forums | Friday, April 30, and Friday, October 29, 2027
- NAGARA Webinar Series | eighteen one-hour webinars

This year's call is built from what members told us. The most-requested topics include Microsoft 365, email, shared drive cleanup, retention schedules and disposition, digital preservation, born-digital archives, public records, leadership and program management, and AI in practice.

What makes a strong proposal: sessions led by the people who did the work, including what went wrong, with something practical attendees can take home and reuse.

Selected presenters receive 25% off 2027 Annual Conference registration.

Proposals are due Friday, December 18, 2026.

Read the full call here: https://nagara.org/Call-for-Session-Proposals

**This message is brought to you by our sponsor, but it does not imply an endorsement of their product/service.**Governm...
09/30/2026

**This message is brought to you by our sponsor, but it does not imply an endorsement of their product/service.**

Government records are no longer just something to store. They're the fuel for AI-driven government, and records professionals are helping build it.

Lorain County, Ohio moved beyond boxes and microfiche to a searchable, retention-aware records foundation, built in its existing SharePoint environment.

On Oct 15, Christy Gary sits down with Marilyn Velez (Records Center Manager) and Todd Sharkey (IT Director) to share what worked, what surprised them, and what they'd do differently. They'll also cover how to assess your agency's AI readiness and bring records, IT, and legal together.

đź“… Thursday, Oct 15 | 1:00 PM ET đź’˛ Free, part of the NAGARA Sponsor Solution Series.

Register 👉 https://nagara.org/iCore/Events/Event_display.aspx?EventKey=SSS26OCT15&WebsiteKey=d4c31fa4-467a-4959-b48b-cae3ea93e516

AI is not making your organization's decisions. It is shaping them, through analysis, recommendations, and summaries tha...
09/30/2026

AI is not making your organization's decisions. It is shaping them, through analysis, recommendations, and summaries that never quite become part of the record.

Session Highlight 2 of 5 for NAGARA's 2026 Fall Online Forum, Ghouls, Goblins, and Governance: Mastering the Horrors of Information Management.

Friday, October 30, 2026 | 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET | Virtual

REGISTER here: https://nagara.org/OnlineForums

General Session 2 (12:25 to 1:25 PM ET)
"Who Owns the Decision? Clearing the Fog of AI-Assisted Decision Making"
James D. Miller, Doctoral Researcher, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

When AI meaningfully influences a decision, what evidence should be preserved to support future accountability and explainability? James traces the evolution of decision evidence from paper records to electronic communications to AI-assisted reasoning, and connects established records management principles to the governance questions now landing on our desks. Attendees leave with a practical framework for evaluating AI-assisted decision processes, built on decision provenance and information quality.

Drawing on three decades in records management, information governance, and public-sector technology, James researches Information Quality and organizational accountability at UA Little Rock.

One registration covers the full day: two breakout blocks, two general sessions, and two networking exchanges. Every learning session will be recorded for registrants afterward.

$59 for NAGARA members, $159 for non-members. Individual membership is $100, so joining pays for itself with this one registration.

Our thanks to forum sponsors CivicPlus and KnowledgeLake.

There is a silent clock ticking inside your organization, and it has nothing to do with cyberattacks or hardware failure...
09/22/2026

There is a silent clock ticking inside your organization, and it has nothing to do with cyberattacks or hardware failures.

Session Highlight 1 of 5 for NAGARA's 2026 Fall Online Forum, Ghouls, Goblins, and Governance: Mastering the Horrors of Information Management.

Friday, October 30, 2026 | 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET | Virtual

The day opens with two breakout sessions (11:15 AM to 12:15 PM ET):

Session 1A: Tick Tock Tech: The Hidden Expiration Dates of our Electronic Records
Raymond Davis, Sr. Principal Consultant, The FX Organization

The files you assume will stay accessible forever have expiration dates hidden in their formats, software, and systems. Ray, a 30-year RM/IG veteran, shows you how to find them before they find you.

Session 1B: The Ghost in the Website: What 34,151 Residents Are Really Afraid Of
Brenden Elwood, VP of Market Research, CivicPlus

An early look at the largest ongoing study of resident trust in local government. 62% of residents read your website as a proxy for leadership quality, and 55% worry about AI misusing their data. Brenden makes the case that records professionals, not IT or comms, are best placed to put that fear to rest.

Attend one live and catch the other on recording. Both sessions will be available to registrants after the forum.

$59 for NAGARA members, $159 for non-members. Individual membership is $100, so joining pays for itself with this one registration.

Our thanks to forum sponsors CivicPlus and KnowledgeLake.

Register here: https://nagara.org/iCore/Events/Event_display.aspx?EventKey=FOF2026&WebsiteKey=d4c31fa4-467a-4959-b48b-cae3ea93e516

**This message is brought to you by our sponsor, but it does not imply an endorsement of their product/service.**Public ...
09/22/2026

**This message is brought to you by our sponsor, but it does not imply an endorsement of their product/service.**

Public records requests don't have to be overwhelming. Discover practical tools, process tips, and technology recommendations from CivicPlus®. The trusted partner to thousands of municipalities nationwide. Download the guide and start mastering your records management workflow today.

Learn More: https://www.civicplus.com/tool-kits/rr/47-tips-benefits-to-master-public-records-requests-management/

Does your office have an archives or records project that keeps slipping to next year?Applications are now open for host...
09/17/2026

Does your office have an archives or records project that keeps slipping to next year?

Applications are now open for host institutions in NAGARA's 2027 Internship Program. We match under-served local and state archives and records programs with students preparing for careers in the profession, and NAGARA pays the selected intern a $3,000 stipend.

What the internship looks like:

- 150 hours of focused archival or records project work
- A start date and schedule set by you and the student
- Completion by the end of August 2027

This summer, 2026 intern Grace Bowman researched Franklin County, Pennsylvania's 1950s aerial photograph collection and described 238 of the images in the county's public catalog. Past interns have indexed historic parks acquisition files, digitized decades of tax assessor records, and prepared a City Hall records vault for relocation.

Eligible institutions are local government organizations or state agencies that are NAGARA members, or have at least one staff member who is.

Applications are due Tuesday, November 17, 2026.

Learn more and apply: https://nagara.org/internship

Two NAGARA deadlines close today.Applications for the 2027 Annual Conference Program Committee and the 2026-2027 NAGARA ...
08/31/2026

Two NAGARA deadlines close today.

Applications for the 2027 Annual Conference Program Committee and the 2026-2027 NAGARA Mentorship Program both close today: Monday, August 31.

Program Committee: help shape the program for the 2027 Annual Conference in Denver, July 13 - 16, 2027. The committee meets monthly through July 2027 and selects content and speakers.

Mentorship Program: one conversation a month, October 2026 through May 2027, with monthly discussion topics provided. Mentors are especially needed, and mentors may earn ICRM Certification Maintenance Points and ACA Continuing Education Credits.

Both are open to active, dues-paying NAGARA members, and both applications take only a few minutes.

Mentorship: https://nagara.org/mentorship
AC27 Program Committee: https://nagara.org/2027/Program-Committee-Application-Link

Expired files lurking in the shadows. Unmanaged records creeping back from the dead to torment your legal and audit team...
08/26/2026

Expired files lurking in the shadows. Unmanaged records creeping back from the dead to torment your legal and audit teams.

If your organization's storage is starting to resemble a haunted house, we built a day for you.

Registration is open for NAGARA's 2026 Fall Online Forum "Ghouls, Goblins, and Governance: Mastering the Horrors of Information Management."

Friday, October 30, 2026
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET
Virtual

$59 for NAGARA members, $159 for non-members.

Learn More, See the Schedule, or Register Here: https://nagara.org/onlineforums

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1400 L Street NW LBBY 2 #34375
Washington D.C., DC
20005

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