As another academic year draws to a close, now is the ideal time to declutter and organize your workspace. An important part of this process is considering all of the records and documents you’ve accumulated throughout the year: What should be kept? What can get tossed? The Research Center for Special Collections and Archives has all of the records management resources you need to ensure that you’re maintaining your records responsibly.
Records management begins with the Records Retention Schedule. It may seem intimidating at first glance, but it’s a crucial tool for identifying the types of records in your possession and how to retain them. Each record type is associated with a series. Each of these series is accompanied by a content list of records that fall within the series’ parameters, a description of the function and use of documents within that series, access restriction guidelines, and retention and disposition instructions.
Once you’ve identified the types of records you have, you’ll be able to use the Records Retention Schedule to determine if you need to keep the records or if it’s okay to dispose of them. If those records have not reached the end of their retention period, continue to store them in your office/department in accordance with their respective guidelines. Consider making a note of when it will be time to revisit those records in the future, based on their unique retention needs.
If you’ve determined it’s time to dispose of your records, there are one of two paths those records will take: destruction or permanent retention. If the records need to be destroyed, you will fill out a certificate of disposal. Documents containing sensitive or confidential information will need to be shredded. Crabbe Library’s designated shred bin is located in room 109. The key can be obtained at the circulation desk. Anything else may simply be recycled.
However, if the record must be permanently retained according to the Retention Schedule, it must be archived. In this case, you will fill out a records transmittal form, box your records accordingly, and send them to the Archives.
Electronic records also follow the same retention policies as their ink-and-paper counterparts. It is recommended that you assess these electronic records regularly to ensure that you are adhering to the retention schedule. It’s helpful to choose one repository for your electronic records and organize them in a way that reflects their retention.
For more information about records management, as well as instructions on how to fill out records management forms, please visit records.eku.edu. If you have any questions about identifying your records in the Retention Schedule or anything else pertaining to records management, please reach out to your University Records Archivist, Jordan Connelly, at jordan.connelly@eku.edu.
Article By: Jordan Connelly
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