Did the National Archives announce it would indefinitely restrict access of the general public to its facility in College Park, starting July 7, 2025? Yes, such a notice briefly appeared on the NARA website in connection with then-planned changes in the security protocol. Later, however, NARA's account on X said that the facility would remain open to the general public, and the organization's senior advisor Jim Byron said that the planned changes were canceled before they took effect.
The statement in question appeared in a post published on X on June 24, 2025. It opened:
The National Archives at College Park is about to go dark; effective July 7, it's becoming a restricted-access federal facility, meaning everyday Americans will no longer have public access to the very records that hold our government accountable. This is where the receipts live; declassified files, presidential documents, historical memos, and now they're walling it off behind a vague "legitimate business need" standard.
The National Archives at College Park, Maryland
Restricted-Access Federal Facility, Effective July 7, 2025
Effective July 7, 2025, the National Archives at College Park, MD, will become a restricted-access federal facility with access only for visitors with a legitimate business need. It will no longer be open to the general public. Security officers will enforce these restrictions, and your cooperation is appreciated.
(Source: X screenshot by Lead Stories)
The pink notice seen above did indeed appear on the National Archives website in the section detailing access to the College Park facility on June 24, 2025. However, on the next day, it was gone, and it wasn't there as of this writing.
We caused a misunderstanding yesterday in the way we communicated long overdue enhanced security standards that are going into effect at the National Archives at College Park, M.D.
First things first: For those who want to come to College Park and look through the records, the research rooms were, are and will ALWAYS remain open to the public.
New processes issued Monday, June 23 with regard to security enhancements at College Park, MD contained many inaccuracies. Though they had not taken effect, these new processes are now rescinded. An essential part of NARA's core mission is to provide access to what is in the National Archives. The ability for researchers to access records was, is and remains a major priority and that will not change.
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