1. Proposed Retention Policy
Senior Operating Team 5/8/2012
Joel A. Cohen, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President,
Library and Information Services

2. Why?
 Reduce liability
 Establish custodial responsibility for different
record types (“official repository”)
 Preserve archival history
 Conserve physical and digital space

3. Key Policy Excerpt
The College’s Records Retention Schedule lists
the official repositories for College records as
well as how long these records must be retained.
All records will be maintained in the media in
which they originated. Units that are not official
repositories but retain duplicate or multiple
copies of these College records should dispose
of them when they are no longer useful. A copy
of the College’s Records Retention Schedule (the
“Record Retention Schedule”) is as attached as
Schedule A to the Record Retention and
Disposal Policy”.


4. Key Policy Excerpt (Continued)
In the event of a pending or expected
lawsuit, claim, audit, program review or
administrative charge, all relevant
records, regardless of physical
format, including e-mails, must be preserved
and safeguarded until the litigation or
proceeding has terminated and the time for all
appeals has expired. You should contact the
appropriate Vice President immediately if you
have questions about this note.

5. Non-record
 Records that are not considered College records
include, but are not limited to; extra copies of
original documents and publications kept only for
convenience or reference, and blank forms.
 We need to minimize these

6. Official repository duties
 Preserve (and destroy) records according to the
schedule
 Provide training for department staff as to
appropriate practices in that
department, including confidentiality and
retention
 Transfer appropriate records to the College
Archivist

7. Some Potentially Controversial
Recommendations
 Email: automatic deletion from Inbox after 90
days, but can be protected by moving to another
folder.
 Email: delete email after two years unless
otherwise specified in schedule.
 Personnel: 50 year retention of personnel
records.
 Student personnel: Treat as non-student
personnel for retention purposes.

8. Record Disposal
 Paper: Light to moderate: Shred on campus.
 Initial pass: consider outside contractor
(approximate cost: $6/banker’s box (10 to a $60
tote).
 Electronic records on office computers: contact
ITS Help Desk for assistance.
 Electronic records on Banner: contact ITS for
assistance.