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OPERATING EXPENSES, NARS

SUMMARY RECONCILIATION OF 1974 ESTIMATE TO COMPARABLE AMOUNT FOR 1973

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"This appropriation provides for basic operations dealing with management of the Government's archives and records, operations of Presidential libraries, and grants for historical publications."

"In 1974 records in custody of the National Archives and Federal records centers will total 13.7 million cubic feet which will represent an estimated 47% of the total Federal records. Reference services will total 15.8 million." (From The Budget for 1974).

Overall workload and production, especially in the Federal records centers, has steadily increased. For example, records holdings in centers have increased significantly from 6,700,000 cubic feet in 1961 to 11,606,000 cubic feet in 1972 and annual reference services increased during the same period from 4,814,000 to 9,917,000. During this period, functional transfers were made from the General Accounting Office, Internal Revenue Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of the Army. Despite this increased workload and the addition of 430 positions transferred over this period, improved methods and procedures have increased manpower utilization so that total overall employment under this appropriation has increased only 227 positions, from 1,832 in 1961 to 2,059 in 1972. These figures actually represent a net reduction of 203 positions when recognizing the 430 positions transferred to the National Archives and Records Service since 1961.

The net increase of $1,232,000 for 1974 consists of (1) $400,000 for regional records centers space maintenance costs, and paperwork management and records management assistance to agencies, (2) $575,000 for additional workload of the National Archives, Presidential Libraries and Federal Register activities, (3) $425,000 for non-recurring expenses required to relocate the Chicago Federal Records Center and, (4) $389,000 for increased support activities and postage, offset by $557,000 resulting mainly from the non-recurring expense incurred in 1973 for the relocation of the San Francisco Federal Records Center.

In accordance with administration policy, the recently granted classified pay increases are to be absorbed within total appropriations currently available to GSA for fiscal year 1973. In addition, the appropriations requested in the President's Budget for 1974 do not reflect the impact of the full-year cost of these increases.

APPROPRIATION LANGUAGE

For necessary expenses in connection with Federal records management and related activities, as provided by law, including reimbursement for security guard services, contractual services incident to movement or disposal of records, and acceptance and utilization of voluntary and uncompensated services, $31,245,000/ $33,230,000, of which $500,000 for allocations and grants for historical publications as authorized by 44 U.S.C. 2504, as amended, shall remain available until expended.

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"The workload in the 14 regional records centers continues to increase reflecting agency demands for services. In 1974 agencies will transfer ,200,000 cubic feet of inactive records to the regional centers. Records lisposal from the records centers will total 800,000 cubic feet. Reference ervices will continue to increase reaching a level of 14.3 million.

"In 1972, the existence and operation of Federal records centers accounted or a Government-wide cost avoidance of $24 million, representing the value f space and equipment by the transfer of records to centers and the more conomic storage of agencies' records received in previous years.

"The records management activity helps agencies control their paperwork, ich for all the Federal Government consists of an estimated 8 to 10 illion pages a year. In 1972, GSA's direct assistance to agencies produced net first-year savings of $15 million including over 310,000 man-days saved : released for other work." (From The Budget for 1974.)

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In 1972 transfers of records to the regional records centers and the ional Personnel Records Center cleared a total of 687,526 square feet of ice space and over 189,841 square feet of storage space in blocks of square feet or more. The cost of leasing this space at rates of $4.73 office and $1.14 for storage would have amounted to $3,468,417. By aring out filed material, agencies emptied 98,761 file cabinets ($55 each), 55 transfer cases ($5 each), and 815,314 linear feet of shelving ($3.42 h), and thereby curtailed the purchase of new equipment by $8,238,004. continuing to store agency records received in previous years more nomically than agencies could have done, the centers avoided additional enditures for storage of $12,459,749. In total $24,166,170 in Governmente costs of space and equipment alone were avoided by use of the centers. y effort will be made to continue effecting improved cost avoidance in and 1974.

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Semiactive and noncurrent records of Federal agencies are accessioned, stored, serviced, and disposed of through a nationwide system of 14 regional records centers. In 1974, an additional $150,000 is needed for increased cost of record center space maintenance performed by the Public Buildings Service on a reimbursable basis. Increases of 400,000 cubic feet of records administered and 1,000,000 reference services will be absorbed through procedural improvements in handling workload.

In 1972 efforts continued to have agencies lower their retention periods. Disposals increased to 970,000 cubic feet in 1972 compared with 729,000 in 1971 and 597,000 in 1970. However, the records accessioning workload in FY 1972 totaled 1.4 million cubic feet, exceeding the 1971 actual and 1972 estimate by 156,455 cubic feet and 199,639 cubic feet, respectively. The peak of 970,000 cubic feet of records disposition in 1972 was only realized because the retention periods that were reduced included large blocks of records. In 1973, the estimate of 800,000 cubic feet is based on reducing retention periods on varied types and smaller blocks of records which will be much more difficult to achieve. This goal of course is predicated on the cooperation of the agencies in reducing their retention period requirements The gap between accessions and disposals requires more center space and shelving. Each cubic foot of records accessioned in excess of disposals requires additional shelving costing $1.10.

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