What is the difference between an agency records officer and a records liaison or records custodian?

Federal records management depends on people, not just policy. Three roles come up most often, and they sit at different levels of authority and scope. Understanding the distinction helps clarify who sets direction, who connects the program to the work, and who actually handles the records.

Agency Records Officer

The agency records officer leads the records management program for the entire organization. This is a senior, program-level role with broad responsibility, typically including:

• Developing and maintaining the agency’s records policies and procedures
• Coordinating records schedules and disposition authorities with the National Archives
• Overseeing compliance with federal recordkeeping laws and regulations
• Serving as the agency’s primary point of contact with NARA on records matters
• Providing training, guidance, and oversight across the organization

Because the records officer is accountable for the program as a whole, the role is strategic. They set the framework that everyone else operates within.

Records Liaison

A records liaison (sometimes called a records coordinator) bridges the central records program and a specific office, bureau, or component. Liaisons usually:

• Carry the records officer’s policies into their part of the organization
• Help staff identify records, apply the correct schedules, and prepare for disposition
• Flag local issues and questions back up to the records officer

Liaisons rarely have agency-wide authority. Their value is local knowledge and proximity to the people creating records every day.

Records Custodian

A records custodian is whoever has physical or operational control of specific records. This may be a program office, a system owner, or an individual employee responsible for a particular set of files. Custodians:

• Maintain records in their care during the active period
• Keep records accessible, secure, and intact
• Carry out disposition (transfer or destruction) when authorized

Custody is about possession and care of particular records, not program leadership.

How They Fit Together

Think of it as a chain of responsibility. The records officer sets the program direction, liaisons translate it into each office, and custodians safeguard the actual records. Titles and exact duties vary by agency, so always check your own organization’s policy and delegations.

For more on federal recordkeeping roles and requirements, see our federal records topic hub.