Welcome to the Office of University Compliance Summer Series! We will share key information, reminders, and resources periodically throughout the summer.
This week's topic is Records Management.
Records and Information Management at UConn
As a state agency, UConn follows records disposition rules established by the Office of the Public Records Administrator of the Connecticut State Library. Summer might be the perfect timeto declutter your space by disposing of old records.
In most cases, we do not need to keep records forever. Rather, ask yourself the questions listed below to make decisions about what to keep (and what to toss!)
1.Do I still need this record? If yes, keep it! If no, go to step 2.
2.Is this record the “official record copy” or a duplicate? If it’s a duplicate and it's no longer needed, destroy it. If it’s the official record copy, go to step 3.
3.Does the age of this record meet the minimum requirement on the state’s records retention schedule? If no, retain the record. If yes, go to step 4.
4.Does the age of this record meet the minimum requirement for the University?The state sets the minimum retention requirement, and for some records the University’s retention is longer. When in doubt—ask! If no, retain the record. If yes, go to step 5.
6. Upon receiving approval, please destroy the records, taking care to shred any documents that are sensitive. For example, shredding should be the method of destruction for student, patient, payroll, and procard records.
At times, the records destruction process can be a bit more involved than the above referenced steps. If at any time you need guidance, please contact the University’s Records Management Liaison Officer, Betsy Pittman.
If you come across records that you believe may have historical value, please contact Betsy who may decide to transfer the records to University Archives to preserve our history.
