National Archives and Records Administration

The National Archives and Records Administration is the federal agency that keeps the government's most important records and makes them available to the public. Its holdings include founding documents, laws, military service files, and presidential papers. It also advises agencies on how to manage their records and oversees how records are classified and released.

People usually ask how to find family, military, or historical records, how long records are kept, and what makes a document public. They also ask how declassified material is released, how the agency differs from the Library of Congress, and how the Federal Register and presidential libraries fit in.