Records Management Quick Guides
Welcome to the Office of Information Affairs (OIA) Records Management Division page for quick guides.
This page is a reference for active and superseded records and information management guides, covering a variety of topics related to managing USDA records and information. USDA Personnel* may learn more about current and prior guides by reviewing the chart below.
Visit the USDA Departmental Records Management Division page to learn more about records management, your records responsibilities (PDF, 222 KB), read the Departmental Regulations and view the date formatting guide (PDF, 138 KB).
Records Management Quick Guides
| Item No. | Name | Effective Date | Active Status | Superseded By Item | Superseded Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capstone Officials (PDF, 243 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 2 | Collaboration Platforms (PDF, 168 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 3 | Contact your Agency Records Officer (ARO) (PDF, 245 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | Date Formatting (PDF, 138 KB) | 4/30/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 5 | Designations for Records Liaisons and Custodians (PDF, 292 KB) | 5/28/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 6 | Disposition Application (PDF, 192 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | Disposition Application Template (XLSX, 79.6 KB) | 4/30/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 8 | Emails and Capstone (PDF, 179 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 9 | Employee Departures (PDF, 220 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | File Plan vs. Records Schedules (PDF, 203 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | Messaging on Mobile Devices (PDF, 140 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | Paper-Based Processes (PDF, 161 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 13 | Personal Cloud Services (PDF, 142 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 14 | Personal Storage Table (.PST) Files (PDF, 140 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 15 | Records Disposal (PDF, 175 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 16 | Records on Personal Devices (PDF, 213 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 17 | Social Media Quick Guide (PDF, 135 KB) | 12/18/2024 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 18 | Teleworking (PDF, 139 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | Text Message Quick Guide (PDF, 175 KB) | 12/18/2024 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 20 | Unscheduled Records (PDF, 197 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 21 | USDA Machine-Readable General Records Schedule (GRS) Questions and Answers (QA) | 3/25/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 22 | USDA Machine-Readable General Records Schedule (GRS) Full Detail Version (XLSX, 174 KB) | 3/25/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 23 | USDA Machine-Readable General Records Schedule (GRS) Lite Version (XLSX, 177 KB) | 3/25/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 24 | USDA Partnerships (PDF, 140 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 25 | Using a Thumb Drive (PDF, 198 KB) | 2/2/2026 | Active | N/A | N/A |
*USDA Personnel are Employees, Contractors, Students, Volunteers, Interns, Fellows and Political Appointees.
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