Clear Out Your Records: Policy and Planning Records Survey Anne Thompson Deputy Records Manager

Objectives To introduce clear out your records week and its aims To explain what we would like you to do To give some tips and guidance on how to approach clearing out large collections of paper and electronic records

Aims of the Clear Out To dispose of records no longer required To transfer relevant records to the University Archive To integrate all other records into the departmental filing system At the end of the week all remaining records should be included in the old or new filing system

The Process Identify records Decide which of three actions to take for each group of records –Disposal, –Transfer to Archive, or –Integrate into the filing system Along the way use some ‘short cuts’ to help

Identifying the records Do not include: –Anything filed in the new system –Anything filed in the old paper system –Publication copies of records on web drives –Any working notes and papers –Any personal records you may hold at work –Reference material, e.g. magazines, journals, annual reports, etc.

Identifying the records (2) Places to look for records: –Your office drawers, cupboards, cabinets and shelves (including the tops) –Under your desk –Your Section’s old shared folders –Your folders –Collections of CD-ROMs and floppy disks –Any other storage areas away from your office

Disposal When should I dispose of records? –Consult the retention schedule How should I dispose of records? –Record quantities Number of s deleted Total size of electronic documents deleted Number of confidential waste sacks filled Number of recycling waste sacks filled –Dispose of the records

Transfer to Archive When should I transfer records to archive? –Consult the retention schedule –Consult the archive collection policy and selection criteria How should I transfer records to archive? –Move electronic records to K:\AAPS\ArchiveTransfer –Put paper records on one side –Complete the records review sheet

Integrate into Filing System When should I integrate records? –Records that should not be destroyed or transferred to archive Paper records before 17 Nov 2005 > old system Paper records after 17 Nov 2005 > new system All electronic records > new system How should I integrate records? –Old system, see the database –New system, see the current procedures –Sensitive records? Let us know

Clear Out Principles Batch documents and folders Avoid looking at individual documents Never weed folders, always treat them as one unit Be pragmatic

Tips: Electronic Documents and s Look for ‘quick wins’ –Electronic documents Use Windows Explorer, look for documents that are out of date, have been superseded, or have not been used for some time – s Sort by date, addressee, subject and size More than 50 s and documents left? –Transfer them to K:\AAPS\LegacyRecords Less than 50 s and documents left? –Look at each individually to decide what to do with it

Tips: Paper Records Look for ‘quick wins’ –Is there a pre-existing list of the documents? Can decisions be made on the basis of the list alone? –Sort the records into a logical order. Make decisions that you can along the way Sample the records Folder-by-folder review –Look at titles, earliest and last dates, external appearance, finally scan the file

Clear out your records week – April Don’t be weighed down by unnecessary files – clear out your records!

Thank You Records Management Section