RECORDS MANAGEMENT

1. RECORDS MANAGEMENT Office for Business Affairs

2. What is Records Management? • It is the application of management techniques to the creation, use, maintenance, retention, preservation, and destruction of state records. (Texas Government Code §441.180)

3. OBJECTIVES: • Four main objectives of a Records Management Program: • Improve efficiency of record keeping • Properly manage records for efficient retrieval and disposal • Protect important legal, financial and vital records • Preserve historical records

4. Record Management Program: • Records Management program consists of: • Development of retention schedules • Management of filing and information retrieval system in any media • Establishing procedure for efficient storage of inactive records • Providing protection of state records that are archival, vital and confidential • Establishing control over the creation and distribution of reports, correspondence and forms • Maintenance of public information to facilitate access under the Public information act, chapter 552 (Open Records Requests) • Establishing procedure for timely and proper disposal of records eligible for final disposition.

5. Benefits: • Benefits of proper management of Records: • Compliance with legal requirements • Efficient use of resources which is cost effective and leads to increased productivity • Protection, control and maintenance of state records • Easy access to state records for open records request

6. State Records: • Any written, photographic, or other recorded information created or received by or on behalf of a state agency or an elected state official that documents activities in the conduct of the state business (Texas Government Code §441.180)

7. Record Copy • Record Copy: • Original or official document which is kept on file. • These records are subject to the retention schedule. • These require Internal approval before they can be dispose of when retention requirements have been met. • You need to complete Record destruction form and Record Disposition log before any of these records can be disposed of.

8. Convenience Copy • Convenience Copy • Convenience copies are all other copies of the record copy created for convenience, reference, or research. • Convenience copies can be destroyed any time. • No approval is needed • Do not have to complete any forms.

9. Problem with Convenience Copies: • Must be disposed of before the end of retention period or as soon as they have served their purpose • Can’t be kept longer than record copy • If kept after record copy is destroyed: - Convenience copy becomes record copy - Results in noncompliance Keep at your own risk !!

10. Transitory Records • These are records of temporary usefulness and not an integral part of a record series of an agency, not regularly filed with an agency’s records, and required only for a limited period of time • Examples: • Routine messages • Internal meeting notices • Routine information used for communication, but not for the documentation, of a specific transaction • These records should be disposed of as soon as they have served their purpose

11. Disposition of State Records: • Two ways a state record can be disposed of: • Archival Preservation: If a record is designated as archival record, then that record has to be preserved. “An archival state record is of enduring value that will be preserved on a continuing basis by the Texas state library and Archives commission or another state agency.” • Destruction: If a record is in the System Record Retention Schedule and has met the retention period then it should be destroyed in a timely manner. This process has to be approved and documented.

12. Destruction of State Records: • Following steps are necessary before record copies can be destroyed: • Make sure that they are in the system record retention schedule • The retention period for these records has expired • Notify the university records officer • Complete the record destruction form • Complete the record disposition log • Obtain necessary authorization • Keep copies of the completed form for yourself and send the originals to PVAMU Records Officer

13. CAUTION: • Records cannot be destroyed: • If any • litigation, • claim, • negotiation, • audit, • open records requests or • administrative review is pending!

14. Storage of Inactive Records: • Store inactive records in such a way that it is easy to locate and retrieve: • Use Records Boxes • Label the boxes with the • description of the records • record series number and • date of the records • Write a unique box number on each box • Enter the disposition date on the box

15. Useful Websites: • TAMU Records Management Webpage: • http://tamusystem.tamu.edu/offices/policy/recordsretention.htm/ • Texas Records Management Laws: • http://tamusystem.tamu.edu/offices/policy/recordsretention.htm • Trainings at Texas State Library and Archives Commission • http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/slrm/state/registration.html

16. PVAMU Records Management • Contact Information • Tasmina Quddus Phone: 936-857-2202 Fax: 936-857-2638 E-mail: taquddus@pvamu.edu