Records Management for Departments

The lifecycle of records begins with their creation, and continues with active use, inactive storage and final disposition.

What to do with files you no longer need

ANNOUNCEMENT: Records Management for UWF department employees tasked with storage or disposition of documents. If you have documents for shredding, arrange for a pick up by Records Management along with a Disposition Form. The UWF RMLO (Records Management Liaison Officer), Phillip Burt, will work with you to ensure your records are stored or disposed of properly. At the end of each year, UWF is required to complete a Records Management Compliance Statement on which the number of cubic feet of records that were destroyed must be indicated. The form is then signed by the UWF President and sent to the Department of State in Tallahassee. Your only means of shredding is therefore through UWF Records Management. There are two types of files - hard copy (paper) and electronic.

As UWF moves toward electronic files, Records Management will move in that direction as well. As documents are scanned and the scan copy becomes the copy of record or master record, there are several things you need to know.

Ensure none of your records have met retention. If the records have met retention, keeping an electronic copy is not viable, as electronic records are kept based on the retentions in the GSA manuals.
If the records have not met retention, ensure that the files are scanned as PDF at 300dpi or higher and stored in a state-approved system, such as the Banner Document Management System (BDMS). They must also be readily accessible.
A Records Disposition request will need to be completed. The only difference is, instead of checking destruction you will need to check scanning and destruction. This indicates that there is a electronic record and the hard copy records can move straight to disposition.
Once the forms are completed, email them to the Records Manager (records@uwf.edu) for review. If everything is correct on the forms, A day and time will be arranged for pick up of the boxes.
Please do NOT use our records storage boxes for disposition. Any type of box may be used for the disposition process other than the storage facility boxes. Empty paper boxes are recommended.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Please be advised of the following critical records management policies:

Record Closure: All records must be officially closed before the retention countdown can begin. Records Management DOES NOT store records that have not been closed and have not begun their retention countdown.
Retrieval Requests: Any request for the return of individual contents, whole records, or individual documents from a submitted records batch will be interpreted as an indication that the records were not properly closed. This suggests that the submission forms were not filled out in good faith or with accurate inclusive dates.
Erroneous Submissions: If it is discovered that records were submitted erroneously, the entire batch will be returned to the originating department. At this point, the department will be solely responsible for storing these records until they have met retention requirements and are ready for destruction.
Storage Conditions: Please note that the Records Management facility is not climate-controlled. As per state regulations, we cannot store records with retention periods of 10 years or more.
Compliance: Strict adherence to these policies is mandatory. Non-compliance may result in additional departmental responsibilities and potential administrative consequences.

Departments are strongly urged to review the record schedules and the record management training to ensure all submissions are accurate and complete. Individual training can be request. Contact Records Management immediately with questions or clarification needs - records@uwf.edu.

Commonly used records terminology and schedules

Retention period – The length of time we are required to retain records. Most university records have retention requirements from 2 to 5 years. Some have a long-term retention of more than 10 years. And some are permanent.
Record series – Groups of documents (or information) which are kept together as a unit because they consist of the same form, relate to the same subject, result from the same activity, or have certain common characteristics. Examples include administrative support records, invoices and personnel records.
Record schedules – State of Florida Division of Library and Information Services guides that list records and the corresponding minimum retention periods. There are primarily two general records schedules which are applicable to UWF; GS1-SL schedule and GS5 schedule. These schedules are based on federal and state laws and regulations, general administrative practices, fiscal management principles, and historical considerations.
GS1-SL schedule – Provides retention periods for records common to all state agencies, including universities and colleges. Some examples are correspondence, personnel, payroll and financial records.
GS5 schedule – Provides retention periods applicable to records common only to public universities and colleges. Some examples are student education records, instructor evaluations, financial aid and program records.

Records Departmental Liaison Form - Completion of this form signifies that you will be the Records Management Liaison for your department.

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