The agencies that manage public documents share the responsibility of preserving them. Federal, State and local laws define the types of documents that need to be kept by an agency. The law also defines the period of time for which these documents must be kept. This is known as the record retention period. The retention period is the duration in which records are stored by an agency.
A good record retention system for any agency is vital. It helps reduce the amount of paperwork that is stored and also helps you save the cost of storage and makes documents more accessible. The first step in developing an effective system for record retention is to take an inventory of all documents that are handled by your agency. You can accomplish this by examining your agency’s records or using the Inventory Form (SSARC-960) available on our Get Forms page. Once you have an inventory the next step is to create a record series ‘ retention schedule for every record in your agency. This is accomplished by determining how https://derwentmills.com/2023/06/07/retention-of-public-records/ long each record should be kept for, and then combining this information with other variables like the type or importance of the document.
The State Records Committee developed a set of General Records Retention schedules that will cover the majority of agency functions. These schedules are available on our Retention Schedules Page. These schedules can be used as a reference when preparing your retention schedules to record series.
