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 Ethics in Government.

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.