Record Management
The Records Management Policy is designed to provide guidance regarding creation, preservation and security of records that should be retained for legal, operational, or historical reasons, and to encourage disposal of records that are of no further value
Emails
Email in itself does not have a retention period. The contents of the email should determine what institutional function it relates to and thus how long the email message should be retained.
Legal Holds
When litigation, and audit or investigation is anticipated or occurs, a litigation hold notice is typically issued. All record disposition must cease until the litigation hold is terminated.
Transitory Records
Transitory records are not included in the retention schedule. These records can be destroyed after the have been acted upon. Transitory records include:
- Memos and posting not related to departmental functions (eg. Announcement of meetings, thank you notes, itineraries etc.)
- Routine request for information that require no administrative policy or decision.
- Working documents, such as drafts or preliminary versions
Electronic Records
Electronic records should follow the same retention policy as physical records. Electronic records deemed substantive should be retained and disposed of just as physical records.
Substantive Records
Substantive records give evidence of the department’s actions, transactions, decisions, and policies. Substantive records are important and thus are included in the records retention schedule.