Instructions for Writing to NARA
By Sue Axton
The 7 March 2007 issue of the Review discusses the US National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) proposal to increase its
fees for photocopying records; notably, it mentions their proposal to
increase fees for copies of Civil War pension files from $37 to $125.
I went to the NARA site to find a place to make a comment on the fee
increase, but the site is almost impossible to figure out. Maybe you
could give step-by-step instructions in a future newsletter. Also,
maybe you could encourage people to write their representatives. I am
not against a reasonable fee to cover the cost of paper and ink, but
$125 for Civil War pension records is way out of line. That puts the
cost out of reach for most researchers.
I would pay an extra fee if the records I request would be put online
for everyone to access. As long as they are going to the trouble of
copying them once, how hard would it be to put them on the website?
[Editor's Note: Comments on the NARA proposal for a photocopying fee
increase must be made by 27 April, so if you have comments submit them
soon.
The following are step-by-step instructions for submitting your
comments:
1. Go to
www.regulations.gov.
2. Under "Search for," select "Documents Open for Public Comment."
3. Under "Agency," select "National Archives and Records
Administration*."
4. Under "Document Type," select "All Document Types."
5. In the "Keyword or ID" field, type "NARA-07-0001-0001."
6. Select "Exact Phrase."
7. Click the "Submit" button.
You can read the proposed rule by clicking the PDF icon in the "Views"
column. You can add your comments by clicking the yellow balloon icon
in the "Comments" column.
Also, you can e-mail comments to your government representative at:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/.]
To view the 7 March 2007 Review announcement about the proposed NARA
fee increase, visit:
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0307.txt
PLEASE, PLEASE WRITE TO THEM TODAY!!!!!!
Liz Stookesberry Myers
Tree Search
Southern California