Mission Statement
To set the highest standard of quality, timeliness, and customer satisfaction
in compliance with legal mandates, in the management of information resources
programs, and in the delivery of information services.
About Us
The Office of Information Programs and Services -- or
IPS for short -- is the primary point of contact for anyone seeking
access to Department of State records.
Records Management
IPS serves as the Records Manager for the Department of State, with
responsibility for the U.S. Government’s foreign policy archives,
a unique historical collection of international significance.
Compliance Issues
IPS is responsible for ensuring that the Department of
State is in compliance with a wide range of statutory and administrative
requirements, including the Federal Records Act, FOIA and EFOIA laws,
the Privacy Act, Executive Order 12958, and certain pervisions of
the Ethics in Government Act.
Information Access Programs
IPS administers the Department of State’s information access programs
and responds to requests from an extremely wide and diverse group of
customers, including the foreign affairs and national security community,
the Congress, the courts, foreign governments and the public.
Records Searching
IPS performs systematic, comprehensive and complex searches for information
in those records -- including electronic records -- which are still
in the physical custody of the Department.
Information Technology
IPS is leading the way in developing and applying new information technology
to records management and information access programs in support of U.S. diplomacy.
The Life of a Document
Records at the Department of State pass through several stages before they are destroyed or transferred to the National Archives. Understanding this document life cycle may help the requester locate the records he/she wants.