What are the Criteria for Designating New Affiliated Archives?
Six principle criteria are used by the Archivist of the United States to determine whether it is in the public interest to establish an Affiliated Archives. Candidate custodians must have: • demonstrated ability to provide enhanced public access to the records and the information in the records beyond what NARA is able to provide. Characteristics that enable enhanced access include, but are not limited to: • availability of special expertise needed to interpret the records and the recordkeeping system; • availability of special equipment or specially designed facilities needed to provide ready access to records; • possession of records, manuscripts, or other research resources that provide essential context for the records; and • close association or proximity to the segment of the public most likely to desire ready access to the records. • demonstrated institutional commitment to the long-term preservation of the records. Custodians must store and maintain records under preservation c
