Changes in NARA Research Room and Museum Hours, 42058-42060 [E6-11763]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
42058
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 142 / Tuesday, July 25, 2006 / Rules and Regulations
taxable income of $8,000, income tax liability
of $839, and income tax withheld of $1,195.
Although A received a refund of $356 due to
income tax withholding of $1,195, he may
not certify on his withholding exemption
certificate that he incurred no liability for
income tax imposed by subtitle A for 2005.
Mark E. Matthews,
Deputy Commissioner for Services and
Enforcement.
Approved: July 14, 2006.
Eric Solomon,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury (Tax Policy).
[FR Doc. E6–11764 Filed 7–24–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830–01–P
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS
ADMINISTRATION
36 CFR Parts 1253 and 1280
RIN 3095–AB52
[Docket NARA–06–0007]
Changes in NARA Research Room and
Museum Hours
National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA).
ACTION: Interim final rule; request for
comment.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NARA is revising its
regulations with respect to research
room and museum hours at its facilities
in the Washington, DC, area. The
operating costs for these facilities have
been increasing every year, particularly
for staffing, security services and
utilities. In these times of fiscal
restraint, NARA has determined
reluctantly that it is necessary to curtail
service during time frames when only a
small percentage of our users are
present to ensure that we are able to
provide quality services to customers
during the times of greatest public use
while we are also conducting other
mission-critical duties. This regulation
will affect individuals who use our
archival research rooms in the National
Archives Building and National
Archives at College Park facility, and
individuals who visit the National
Archives Experience and the Rotunda
exhibits in the National Archives
Building. This rule also makes minor
edits to related provisions, which are
discussed in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section, and adds the
archival research room at the National
Personnel Records Center to our list of
research facilities.
DATES: This interim final rule is
effective October 2, 2006. Comments on
this interim final rule must be received
by September 8, 2006 at the address
shown below. NARA intends to publish
any changes to the rule resulting from
this comment period before the October
2, 2006 effective date.
A public meeting on this interim final
rule will be held on August 3, 2006 at
1 p.m. See the ADDRESSES paragraph for
additional information.
ADDRESSES: NARA invites interested
persons to submit comments on this
interim final rule. Comments may be
submitted by any of the following
methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: Submit comments by facsimile
transmission to 301–837–0319.
• Mail: Send comments to
Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL),
Room 4100, Policy and Planning Staff,
National Archives and Records
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road,
College Park, MD 20740–6001.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver
comments to 8601 Adelphi Road,
College Park, MD.
The public meeting will be held at the
Jefferson Room in the National Archives
Building, Washington, DC 20408, on
August 3, 2006 at 1 p.m. Please enter
through the Constitution Avenue
Special Events entrance (Constitution
Ave. NW., between 7th and 9th Streets,
NW.). Reservations are not required but
space may be limited.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nancy Allard at 301–837–1477 or
Jennifer Davis Heaps at 301–837–1801
or via fax number 301–837–0319.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A
discussion of the changes we are making
in this rule follows.
Research Room Hours in DC Area
Facilities
Our research center and Central
Research Room in the National Archives
Building and the research rooms at the
National Archives at College Park
facility are currently open for research
Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m.
to 5 p.m.; on Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.;
and Saturdays from 8:45 a.m. to 4:45
p.m. This interim final rule would
eliminate Saturday hours and change
the research room hours to 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. on weekdays, more closely
reflecting NARA official business hours
in those facilities. The new research
room hours are specified in §§ 1253.1(a)
and 1253.2(b). We are also amending
§ 1253.8 since we no longer will have
Saturday hours.
During the evening and Saturday
hours we must provide staff to supervise
the seven research rooms and assist
researchers. We also require additional
security guard presence and incur
additional utility costs because the
buildings are open to the public. We
determined that carrying out the
necessary reduction in hours by
eliminating evening and Saturday hours
would inconvenience the fewest
researchers. Researchers who conduct
research in original archival records in
the evening or on Saturday currently
must make a reference request in-person
before 3:30 on weekdays to have the
records identified and retrieved from
the stack areas for their research use; no
records are retrieved during those
extended hours. NARA had 96,393
researcher visits in FY 2005 in our DC
area research rooms. The following
charts show that at both facilities,
significantly fewer researchers used the
research rooms during evening and
Saturday hours in FY 2005:
2005 EVENING/SATURDAY RESEARCH ROOM USAGE AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES BUILDING
Number of researchers
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with RULES
National Archives Building only
Evening research
room usage from
5:30 p.m. forward
Saturday research
room usage
Evening research
room usage from
5:30 p.m. forward
(percent)
Saturday research
room usage
(percent)
968
1,061
1,268
966
691
653
823
594
14
12
13
15
10
8
8
9
Jan–Mar 2005 ..........................................................................
Apr–Jun 2005 ..........................................................................
July–Sep 2005 .........................................................................
Oct–Dec 2005 ..........................................................................
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:37 Jul 24, 2006
Jkt 208001
PO 00000
Researchers as a percentage of total
researchers during the quarter
Frm 00042
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
E:\FR\FM\25JYR1.SGM
25JYR1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 142 / Tuesday, July 25, 2006 / Rules and Regulations
42059
2005 EVENING/SATURDAY RESEARCH ROOM USAGE AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES BUILDING—Continued
Number of researchers
National Archives Building only
Researchers as a percentage of total
researchers during the quarter
Evening research
room usage from
5:30 p.m. forward
Saturday research
room usage
Evening research
room usage from
5:30 p.m. forward
(percent)
Saturday research
room usage
(percent)
4,263
2,761
13
9
Total Evening/Saturday Use during 2005 ........................
2005 EVENING/SATURDAY RESEARCH ROOM USAGE AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AT COLLEGE PARK
Number of researchers
National Archives at College Park only
Researchers as a percentage of total
researchers during the quarter
Evening research
room usage from
5:30 p.m. forward
Saturday research
room usage
Evening research
room usage from
5:30 p.m. forward
(percent)
Saturday research
room usage
(percent)
Jan–Mar 2005 ..........................................................................
Apr–Jun 2005 ..........................................................................
July–Sep 2005 .........................................................................
Oct–Dec 2005 ..........................................................................
1,992
2,314
2,434
2,004
734
798
817
602
19
17
17
17
7
6
6
5
Total Evening/Saturday Use during 2005 ........................
8,744
2,951
17
6
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with RULES
Research Room Hours in Regional
Archives
Our regulations only list the core
Monday–Friday hours for NARA’s
regional archives (Tuesday–Saturday
hours for the Southeast Region in
Morrow, GA) in 36 CFR 1253.7, which
are not changing. Currently, most of our
regional archives research rooms also
are open one evening per week and/or
certain Saturdays of the month
primarily for microfilm research.
Researchers who conduct research in
original archival records in the evening
or on Saturday must make a reference
request in-person before 3:30 on
weekdays to have the records identified
and retrieved from the stack areas for
their research use; no records are
retrieved during those extended hours.
The extended hours, which are subject
to more frequent modification, are listed
on the NARA Web site (https://
www.archives.gov) and posted in the
regional research rooms. In some of the
regional archives, we are reducing
extended hours beginning October 2,
2006.
We are making one unrelated change
to § 1253.7 to add the archival research
room at the National Personnel Records
Center in St. Louis, MO.
Museum Hours at the National
Archives Building
This interim final rule also modifies
the hours the exhibit areas in the
National Archives Building,
Washington, DC, are open to the public.
Currently the National Archives
Experience (our Washington DC
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:40 Jul 24, 2006
Jkt 208001
museum) including the Rotunda for the
Charters of Freedom (displaying the
Declaration of Independence,
Constitution, and Bill of Rights) is open
to the public as follows:
• The day after Labor Day through
March 31, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed
on December 25);
• April 1 through the Friday before
Memorial Day, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
• Memorial Day weekend through
Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
We are revising § 1280.62 to make the
public hours the day after Labor Day
through March 14, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.,
and March 15 through Labor Day, 10
a.m. to 7 p.m. The building will be
closed on Thanksgiving and December
25. In addition, because transit through
the building and through the line to
view the Charters of Freedom cannot
usually be completed in less than a 30
minute visit, we are establishing a
policy of ‘‘last admission’’ at least 30
minutes before close. This policy, which
is followed by many museums, will
allow us to clear the exhibit areas of
visitors at the stated closing time and
ensure that visitors coming into the
building have at least some opportunity
to see the Charters of Freedom. Finally,
because the renovation of the National
Archives Building provides direct
street-level access to the building
entrance on Constitution Avenue, we
are rewording § 1280.60 to remove
directions for disabled and persons with
strollers to use the Pennsylvania
Avenue entrance to the building.
Although we are reducing the hours
exhibit areas in the National Archives
PO 00000
Frm 00043
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
Building, Washington, DC, are open
during the summer months (Memorial
Day through Labor Day), the new
summer hours are consistent with those
at the National Museum of American
History (10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.). We have
found that the last two hours of the day
in the summer have the lowest average
attendance, so this action will affect the
fewest visitors on those days. By
changing to a two season calendar with
the high season beginning March 15, we
are increasing the hours the exhibit
areas are open during peak demand
(school break, Cherry Blossom Festival)
in late March. As with the change in
research room hours, the changes in
hours for the exhibit areas will
significantly reduce our security guard
expenses.
As we noted in the SUMMARY
paragraph of this preamble, NARA must
carry out multiple mission-critical
activities. There are many actions that
must be carried out in order to provide
access to archival records in NARA
research rooms; to assist researchers via
on-line descriptions in our Archival
Research Catalog or via written
reference requests; and to develop
public programs and exhibits. When
archival records are transferred to
NARA’s custody from the creating
agency or at the end of a Presidential
Administration, NARA staff must
organize these records, assess and
address their condition, carry out
declassification review on them as
needed, describe them, and otherwise
prepare them for safe and efficient use
by researchers. The actions that we are
E:\FR\FM\25JYR1.SGM
25JYR1
42060
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 142 / Tuesday, July 25, 2006 / Rules and Regulations
taking in this interim final rule will
assist us in conducting all of our
mission-critical programs.
The issuance of an ‘‘interim-final
rule’’ may be followed under the ‘‘goodcause’’ exemption of 5 U.S.C.
553(b)(3)(B) as ‘‘impracticable’’ or
‘‘contrary to the public interest.’’ In this
instance, good cause exists because
NARA must institute these changes at
the beginning of the next fiscal year,
which does not leave sufficient time for
NARA to issue a final rule following the
45 day comment period under this
notice.
This rule is not a significant
regulatory action for the purposes of
Executive Order 12866 and has not been
reviewed by the Office of Management
and Budget. As required by the
Regulatory Flexibility Act, I certify that
this rule will not have a significant
impact on a substantial number of small
entities because it affects individual
researchers and museum visitors. This
regulation does not have any federalism
implications. This rule is not a major
rule as defined in 5 U.S.C. Chapter 8,
Congressional Review of Agency
Rulemaking.
List of Subjects
(b) Research complex hours are 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
*
*
*
*
*
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
3. Amend § 1253.7 by adding a new
paragraph (n) to read as follows:
50 CFR Part 679
I
§ 1253.7
Regional Archives.
*
*
*
*
*
(n) National Personnel Records Center
archival research room is located at
9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132–
5100. The hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Tuesday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
I
4. Revise § 1253.8 to read as follows:
§ 1253.8 Are NARA research room
facilities closed on Federal holidays?
NARA research room facilities are
closed on all Federal holidays.
PART 1280—PUBLIC USE OF NARA
FACILITIES
5. The authority citation for part 1280
continues to read as follows:
I
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 2102 notes, 2104(a),
2112(a)(1)(A)(iii), 2903.
36 CFR Part 1253
Archives and records.
I
36 CFR Part 1280
Federal buildings and facilities.
I For the reasons set forth in the
preamble, NARA amends chapter XII of
title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, as
follows:
§ 1280.60 Where do I enter the National
Archives Building in Washington, DC?
6. Amend § 1280.60 by revising
paragraph (b) to read as follows:
PART 1253—LOCATION OF NARA
FACILITIES AND HOURS OF USE
1. The authority citation for part 1253
continues to read as follows:
I
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 2104(a).
2. Amend § 1253.1 by revising
paragraph (a) to read as follows:
I
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with RULES
§ 1253.1
National Archives Building.
(a) The National Archives Building is
located at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20408. Business
hours are 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays when the building is closed.
Hours for the Research Center and the
Central Research room are 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
*
*
*
*
*
I 2. Amend § 1253.2 by revising
paragraph (b) to read as follows:
§ 1253.2
*
*
National Archives at College Park.
*
VerDate Aug<31>2005
*
*
15:39 Jul 24, 2006
*
*
*
*
*
(b) To visit the exhibit areas of the
National Archives Building, including
the National Archives Experience and
Rotunda, you must enter through the
Constitution Avenue entrance.
I
7. Revise § 1280.62 to read as follows:
§ 1280.62 When are the exhibit areas in the
National Archives Building open?
The exhibit areas are open to the
public from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. from
the day after Labor Day through March
14. The exhibit areas are open from 10
a.m. until 7 p.m. from March 15 through
Labor Day. Last admission to the exhibit
areas of the building will be no later
than 30 minutes before the stated
closing hour. The Archivist of the
United States reserves the authority to
close the exhibit areas to the public at
any time for special events or other
purposes. The building is closed on
Thanksgiving and December 25.
Dated: July 18, 2006.
Allen Weinstein,
Archivist of the United States.
[FR Doc. E6–11763 Filed 7–24–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515–01–P
Jkt 208001
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No. 060216044–6044–01; I.D.
072006C]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Northern Rockfish in
the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf
of Alaska
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed
fishing for northern rockfish in the
Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of
Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary
to prevent exceeding the 2006 total
allowable catch (TAC) of northern
rockfish in the Central Regulatory Area
of the GOA.
DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local
time (A.l.t.), July 21, 2006, through 2400
hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Josh
Keaton, 907–586–7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the groundfish fishery in the
GOA exclusive economic zone
according to the Fishery Management
Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of
Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council
under authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act. Regulations governing
fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance
with the FMP appear at subpart H of 50
CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
The 2006 TAC of northern rockfish in
the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA
is 3,608 metric tons (mt) as established
by the 2006 and 2007 harvest
specifications for groundfish of the GOA
(71 FR 10870, March 3, 2006).
In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),
the Administrator, Alaska Region,
NMFS (Regional Administrator), has
determined that the 2006 TAC of
northern rockfish in the Central
Regulatory Area of the GOA will soon
be reached. Therefore, the Regional
Administrator is establishing a directed
fishing allowance of 3,558 mt, and is
setting aside the remaining 50 mt as
bycatch to support other anticipated
groundfish fisheries. In accordance with
§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii), the Regional
Administrator finds that this directed
fishing allowance has been reached.
Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting
E:\FR\FM\25JYR1.SGM
25JYR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 25, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42058-42060]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11763]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
36 CFR Parts 1253 and 1280
RIN 3095-AB52
[Docket NARA-06-0007]
Changes in NARA Research Room and Museum Hours
AGENCY: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
ACTION: Interim final rule; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NARA is revising its regulations with respect to research room
and museum hours at its facilities in the Washington, DC, area. The
operating costs for these facilities have been increasing every year,
particularly for staffing, security services and utilities. In these
times of fiscal restraint, NARA has determined reluctantly that it is
necessary to curtail service during time frames when only a small
percentage of our users are present to ensure that we are able to
provide quality services to customers during the times of greatest
public use while we are also conducting other mission-critical duties.
This regulation will affect individuals who use our archival research
rooms in the National Archives Building and National Archives at
College Park facility, and individuals who visit the National Archives
Experience and the Rotunda exhibits in the National Archives Building.
This rule also makes minor edits to related provisions, which are
discussed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section, and adds the
archival research room at the National Personnel Records Center to our
list of research facilities.
DATES: This interim final rule is effective October 2, 2006. Comments
on this interim final rule must be received by September 8, 2006 at the
address shown below. NARA intends to publish any changes to the rule
resulting from this comment period before the October 2, 2006 effective
date.
A public meeting on this interim final rule will be held on August
3, 2006 at 1 p.m. See the ADDRESSES paragraph for additional
information.
ADDRESSES: NARA invites interested persons to submit comments on this
interim final rule. Comments may be submitted by any of the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: Submit comments by facsimile transmission to 301-837-
0319.
Mail: Send comments to Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL),
Room 4100, Policy and Planning Staff, National Archives and Records
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver comments to 8601 Adelphi
Road, College Park, MD.
The public meeting will be held at the Jefferson Room in the
National Archives Building, Washington, DC 20408, on August 3, 2006 at
1 p.m. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue Special Events
entrance (Constitution Ave. NW., between 7th and 9th Streets, NW.).
Reservations are not required but space may be limited.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Allard at 301-837-1477 or
Jennifer Davis Heaps at 301-837-1801 or via fax number 301-837-0319.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A discussion of the changes we are making in
this rule follows.
Research Room Hours in DC Area Facilities
Our research center and Central Research Room in the National
Archives Building and the research rooms at the National Archives at
College Park facility are currently open for research Monday through
Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.; on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturdays from 8:45 a.m. to 4:45
p.m. This interim final rule would eliminate Saturday hours and change
the research room hours to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, more closely
reflecting NARA official business hours in those facilities. The new
research room hours are specified in Sec. Sec. 1253.1(a) and
1253.2(b). We are also amending Sec. 1253.8 since we no longer will
have Saturday hours.
During the evening and Saturday hours we must provide staff to
supervise the seven research rooms and assist researchers. We also
require additional security guard presence and incur additional utility
costs because the buildings are open to the public. We determined that
carrying out the necessary reduction in hours by eliminating evening
and Saturday hours would inconvenience the fewest researchers.
Researchers who conduct research in original archival records in the
evening or on Saturday currently must make a reference request in-
person before 3:30 on weekdays to have the records identified and
retrieved from the stack areas for their research use; no records are
retrieved during those extended hours. NARA had 96,393 researcher
visits in FY 2005 in our DC area research rooms. The following charts
show that at both facilities, significantly fewer researchers used the
research rooms during evening and Saturday hours in FY 2005:
2005 Evening/Saturday Research Room Usage at the National Archives Building
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of researchers Researchers as a percentage of total
-------------------------------------- researchers during the quarter
-------------------------------------
National Archives Building only Evening research Evening research
room usage from Saturday research room usage from Saturday research
5:30 p.m. forward room usage 5:30 p.m. forward room usage
(percent) (percent)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan-Mar 2005........................ 968 691 14 10
Apr-Jun 2005........................ 1,061 653 12 8
July-Sep 2005....................... 1,268 823 13 8
Oct-Dec 2005........................ 966 594 15 9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 42059]]
Total Evening/Saturday Use 4,263 2,761 13 9
during 2005....................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2005 Evening/Saturday Research Room Usage at the National Archives at College Park
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of researchers Researchers as a percentage of total
-------------------------------------- researchers during the quarter
-------------------------------------
National Archives at College Park Evening research Evening research
only room usage from Saturday research room usage from Saturday research
5:30 p.m. forward room usage 5:30 p.m. forward room usage
(percent) (percent)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan-Mar 2005........................ 1,992 734 19 7
Apr-Jun 2005........................ 2,314 798 17 6
July-Sep 2005....................... 2,434 817 17 6
Oct-Dec 2005........................ 2,004 602 17 5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Evening/Saturday Use 8,744 2,951 17 6
during 2005....................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Research Room Hours in Regional Archives
Our regulations only list the core Monday-Friday hours for NARA's
regional archives (Tuesday-Saturday hours for the Southeast Region in
Morrow, GA) in 36 CFR 1253.7, which are not changing. Currently, most
of our regional archives research rooms also are open one evening per
week and/or certain Saturdays of the month primarily for microfilm
research. Researchers who conduct research in original archival records
in the evening or on Saturday must make a reference request in-person
before 3:30 on weekdays to have the records identified and retrieved
from the stack areas for their research use; no records are retrieved
during those extended hours. The extended hours, which are subject to
more frequent modification, are listed on the NARA Web site (https://
www.archives.gov) and posted in the regional research rooms. In some of
the regional archives, we are reducing extended hours beginning October
2, 2006.
We are making one unrelated change to Sec. 1253.7 to add the
archival research room at the National Personnel Records Center in St.
Louis, MO.
Museum Hours at the National Archives Building
This interim final rule also modifies the hours the exhibit areas
in the National Archives Building, Washington, DC, are open to the
public. Currently the National Archives Experience (our Washington DC
museum) including the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom (displaying
the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights) is
open to the public as follows:
The day after Labor Day through March 31, 10 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. (closed on December 25);
April 1 through the Friday before Memorial Day, 10 a.m. to
7 p.m.;
Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
We are revising Sec. 1280.62 to make the public hours the day after
Labor Day through March 14, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and March 15 through
Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The building will be closed on
Thanksgiving and December 25. In addition, because transit through the
building and through the line to view the Charters of Freedom cannot
usually be completed in less than a 30 minute visit, we are
establishing a policy of ``last admission'' at least 30 minutes before
close. This policy, which is followed by many museums, will allow us to
clear the exhibit areas of visitors at the stated closing time and
ensure that visitors coming into the building have at least some
opportunity to see the Charters of Freedom. Finally, because the
renovation of the National Archives Building provides direct street-
level access to the building entrance on Constitution Avenue, we are
rewording Sec. 1280.60 to remove directions for disabled and persons
with strollers to use the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the building.
Although we are reducing the hours exhibit areas in the National
Archives Building, Washington, DC, are open during the summer months
(Memorial Day through Labor Day), the new summer hours are consistent
with those at the National Museum of American History (10 a.m.-6:30
p.m.). We have found that the last two hours of the day in the summer
have the lowest average attendance, so this action will affect the
fewest visitors on those days. By changing to a two season calendar
with the high season beginning March 15, we are increasing the hours
the exhibit areas are open during peak demand (school break, Cherry
Blossom Festival) in late March. As with the change in research room
hours, the changes in hours for the exhibit areas will significantly
reduce our security guard expenses.
As we noted in the SUMMARY paragraph of this preamble, NARA must
carry out multiple mission-critical activities. There are many actions
that must be carried out in order to provide access to archival records
in NARA research rooms; to assist researchers via on-line descriptions
in our Archival Research Catalog or via written reference requests; and
to develop public programs and exhibits. When archival records are
transferred to NARA's custody from the creating agency or at the end of
a Presidential Administration, NARA staff must organize these records,
assess and address their condition, carry out declassification review
on them as needed, describe them, and otherwise prepare them for safe
and efficient use by researchers. The actions that we are
[[Page 42060]]
taking in this interim final rule will assist us in conducting all of
our mission-critical programs.
The issuance of an ``interim-final rule'' may be followed under the
``good-cause'' exemption of 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) as ``impracticable''
or ``contrary to the public interest.'' In this instance, good cause
exists because NARA must institute these changes at the beginning of
the next fiscal year, which does not leave sufficient time for NARA to
issue a final rule following the 45 day comment period under this
notice.
This rule is not a significant regulatory action for the purposes
of Executive Order 12866 and has not been reviewed by the Office of
Management and Budget. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, I
certify that this rule will not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities because it affects individual
researchers and museum visitors. This regulation does not have any
federalism implications. This rule is not a major rule as defined in 5
U.S.C. Chapter 8, Congressional Review of Agency Rulemaking.
List of Subjects
36 CFR Part 1253
Archives and records.
36 CFR Part 1280
Federal buildings and facilities.
0
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, NARA amends chapter XII of
title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, as follows:
PART 1253--LOCATION OF NARA FACILITIES AND HOURS OF USE
0
1. The authority citation for part 1253 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 2104(a).
0
2. Amend Sec. 1253.1 by revising paragraph (a) to read as follows:
Sec. 1253.1 National Archives Building.
(a) The National Archives Building is located at 700 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20408. Business hours are 8:45 a.m. to 5:15
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays when the building
is closed. Hours for the Research Center and the Central Research room
are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
* * * * *
0
2. Amend Sec. 1253.2 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:
Sec. 1253.2 National Archives at College Park.
* * * * *
(b) Research complex hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
* * * * *
0
3. Amend Sec. 1253.7 by adding a new paragraph (n) to read as follows:
Sec. 1253.7 Regional Archives.
* * * * *
(n) National Personnel Records Center archival research room is
located at 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. The hours are 10
a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
0
4. Revise Sec. 1253.8 to read as follows:
Sec. 1253.8 Are NARA research room facilities closed on Federal
holidays?
NARA research room facilities are closed on all Federal holidays.
PART 1280--PUBLIC USE OF NARA FACILITIES
0
5. The authority citation for part 1280 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 2102 notes, 2104(a), 2112(a)(1)(A)(iii),
2903.
0
6. Amend Sec. 1280.60 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:
Sec. 1280.60 Where do I enter the National Archives Building in
Washington, DC?
* * * * *
(b) To visit the exhibit areas of the National Archives Building,
including the National Archives Experience and Rotunda, you must enter
through the Constitution Avenue entrance.
0
7. Revise Sec. 1280.62 to read as follows:
Sec. 1280.62 When are the exhibit areas in the National Archives
Building open?
The exhibit areas are open to the public from 10 a.m. until 5:30
p.m. from the day after Labor Day through March 14. The exhibit areas
are open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. from March 15 through Labor Day.
Last admission to the exhibit areas of the building will be no later
than 30 minutes before the stated closing hour. The Archivist of the
United States reserves the authority to close the exhibit areas to the
public at any time for special events or other purposes. The building
is closed on Thanksgiving and December 25.
Dated: July 18, 2006.
Allen Weinstein,
Archivist of the United States.
[FR Doc. E6-11763 Filed 7-24-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7515-01-P
