General Records Management Tips
You are undoubtedly already overworked, and the thought of instituting a new system has-to say the least-limited appeal. But with a very limited expenditure of time and effort this new campus Policy on Records Management can provide you with some significant benefits.
Here are some tips to help you get rid of the clutter in your offices, avoid duplication of effort, and allow easy retrieval of older materials whether they are held in your offices until their destruction or they are sent to the archives.
1. Weed all files more than 3 years old. (See Guidelines for Weeding)
2. Order contents of each record series (records type) into chronological order.
3. Break folders at a predetermined date. Break files annually (or every two years) Breaking a file means to start a new folder at regularly scheduled intervals, say every year, or on a specific date such as graduation, without fail. In this way, not only do folders not become over crowded but it is extremely easy to purge material on a regular basis. Making note of specific record series stipulated in the retention schedules and keeping each record series/record type separate will facilitate weeding and disposal of scheduled materials.
4. Label old folders with inclusive dates before boxing them. (Student assistants can help with this)
5. Fill boxes in the same order that the folders exist in the file cabinets. (For records to be sent to the University Archives please contact the archives for acid free records cartons.)
6. Number boxes ("1 of 3; 2 of 3, 3 of 3")
7. Label boxes with the department/office name. Records scheduled for disposal should be marked 'Dispose After' with the disposal date in accordance with the retention schedule for that record series. These can then be easily stored until their destruction date without having to be revisited. Records being transferred to the University Archives should include a typed list (on a floppy disc/CD would be helpful) of the contents/folder titles (including beginning and ending dates) of each box. This ensures that the Archives can easily retrieve records for you should you need it in the future.
8. Transfer boxes either to records storage or to the University Archives. Include signed official transfer form with all transfers to the Archives.
Guidelines for Weeding
Weeding files is the activity of removing documents that are no longer needed. Regular annual or every other year weeding of the whole system is usually necessary to systematically remove aging documents.
Note: Before weeding check the campus Policy on Records Management to be sure whether or not your department is the official 'Office of Record' for a particular record series.
Records to be Weeded
There are three categories of non-current records to be weeded from files:
1. Papers that need to be kept as a short-term record, but have no enduring value to the University. These can and should be destroyed as a standard filing maintenance procedure. Items of this sort are:
" All blank forms and unused printed or duplicated materials
" All other duplicate materials: keep only the original copy and annotated copies
" Papers, reports, work papers and drafts, which have been published.
" Records from other departments sent for informational purposes.
2. Classes of documents which under retention schedules are to be held for a specific period, then destroyed. These should be removed, labeled, and sent to records storage.
3. Documents that due to historical significance are designated for permanent retention. These should be transferred to the University Archives, with the exception of those classes of documents scheduled for permanent retention in an official 'Office of Record'.
***Note: Email is a form of correspondence and needs to be treated as such.
If there are questions about records not listed in the 'Policy' or questions about the retention or disposal of specific record series, please check the retention schedules for your department or telephone the Archivist at x56290.
When In Doubt, Do Not Throw It Out! Contact the Archivist.
