Following the passage of the 1972 Indian Self-Determination Act, the volume of tribal government records has exploded. This manual is a guide to establishing a system for the effective organization, maintenance, and disposition of such records. Section A discusses the major goals of a records management program, defines relevant terms, suggests tribal policy covering responsibility for records, and describes the life cycle of a record. Section B outlines the basic steps in setting up a records management system: (1) inventory determines what records are on hand and what purpose they serve; (2) appraisal considers the administrative, fiscal, legal, and historical value of records and sets the retention and disposition periods for each record series; and (3) the retention schedule is a written plan for the disposal, temporary storage, or permanent retention of various records. Section C describes the establishment and use of a storage facility for inactive files and a tribal archives for permanent records, offers guidelines for defining vital records, suggests sources for copies of missing vital records, and discusses record preservation and disaster planning. Section D provides record inventory and record retention forms, as well as sample retention schedules for records of the tribal council, chairman, administration, and court, and for records concerning business, education, finances, housing, human services, personnel, and police. (SV)