Title 44, Section 3301 of the United States Code delineates what constitutes materials made or received by an agency of the U.S. Government under Federal law in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by that agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the Government or because of the informational value of data in them. This encompasses a wide range of documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, including paper documents, electronic files, photographs, and audio-visual recordings. For instance, emails exchanged between government employees pertaining to agency policy, draft reports prepared by a federal agency, and databases containing information collected by a government entity all potentially fall under the scope of this definition.
This legal definition is crucial for ensuring government transparency and accountability. By clearly defining what constitutes a record, it mandates the preservation of materials that document government actions, thus enabling oversight by the public, Congress, and other stakeholders. This preservation also supports historical research, allowing future generations to understand the decisions and activities of past governments. Proper record management fostered by this definition streamlines government operations by enabling efficient retrieval of information when needed, reducing redundancy, and improving decision-making processes. The definition’s historical context is rooted in the need to manage the growing volume of government documents and to ensure their accessibility for both administrative and historical purposes.
