Questions to Help You Complete a Department Records Review
What operational/business records does our office or unit keep or create?
- Paper, Electronic, Forms, Photos, Tapes, CDs or DVDs
Describe each record.
- Is it an electronic (digital) record or a paper record?
- What forms do we use and are they part of a work process or a separate record item?
- Is the record an original or duplicate (creator of the record or copy of the record)?
- If it is a duplicate record (copy of a record from another person/office), it should be covered elsewhere in the record retention and disposition schedules, most likely the common records series.
- Examples of duplicate records include personnel, payroll, inventory and budget records. A list of these records can be found in the common records schedule.
When did our unit create or start using this record?
How much of this record does our office have in storage? How much does our office accumulate per year?
How does our office manage or file the record?
- Alphabetically, Numerically, Chronologically or a combination of the three
Where is the record located and how is it stored?
Is the record internally and/or externally audited?
Is this record covered by any federal, state or privacy acts and/or have sensitive data?
How often does our office refer to or retrieve this record?
Does it make sense to reformat (scan) this record for business or storage purposes?
How should our office dispose of the record?
If you have questions, comments or concerns, call Kurt Schoenborn at 650-3982. We appreciate your time and hard work in this matter.
