Frequently Asked Questions

Records management is an essential tool to carry out daily business. Some of the most commonly asked questions concerning records management, records destruction, and effective day to day organization are below. To learn more about records management, please visit State Agencies Records Management or Local Government Records Management for more information and best practices.

Glossary of Terms

For more in depth information on archival and public records management terminology and law, view the Public Records Glossary.

What are the advantages of following a records management plan?

It enhances the ability to efficiently perform an agency’s core mission, retrieve and dispose of records, ensure regulatory compliance with State Law including the Access to Public Records Act, safeguard important agency information, and preserve agency knowledge.

Who is responsible for the care and maintenance of public records?

All agency employees are records custodians and responsible for the records they create or receive. View the Agency Employee Records Pyramid for additional levels of records responsibilities.

How do I destroy records?

Request authorization by submitting a Certification of Records Destruction (CRD) to the State Archives & Public Records Administration. Records may not be destroyed until the CRD has been approved and returned to the requesting agency.

How often should I destroy records?

Eligible records, regardless of format, should be destroyed every calendar or fiscal year. Records may not be destroyed until a Certification of Records Destruction is approved and returned to the requesting agency.

What is the retention period for email?

Email is a format, not a record in itself, and is used to create and receive multiple types of records, so it does not have a single retention period. Each email should be compared to the associated Records Retention Schedule to find the appropriate record series based on the content. The retention is the same as the paper equivalent as retentions are format neutral.

How does an agency move records into storage? How can they request a record from storage?

Records can be moved into offsite storage once an agency has a State Records Center account. To create an account and for additional information on requesting records, see the State Records Center website.

I wish to destroy some records but cannot find them on the retention schedule. What should I do?  

If the record is not scheduled, it is considered permanent until it is scheduled and cannot be destroyed until then. Contact the Public Records Administration or the Local Government Records Coordinator to identify the best course of action until it is eligible with a Records Retention Schedule amendment.

What is the best way to store paper records?

View State Agencies Records Management or Local Government Records Management for records storage best practices.