Utilizing Adobe Acrobat Pro’s Recognize Text feature will allow your scanned image to become a searchable document. Details on how to recognize Text and how to search your folders can be found here.
Click on a question below to view the answer.
You may also limit the results by entering a search term.
Scanning
An office or department is always welcome to scan records so long as they keep the original paper documents. If you want to scan and destroy the original paper, your office must have a written Scanning Policy on file with our office. To check if you already have a scanning policy, talk to the Records Coordinator in your office or try our Departmental Search webpage – it tells you if you have a departmental retention schedule and/or a scanning policy. If you are still unsure, please contact us at recmgt@uw.edu or 543-0573.
If your office is scanning records into Ariba, EDMS, GCCR, or Workday, please see the University-wide policies.
The UW Scanning Requirements which necessitate a Scanning Policy are based on Imaging Systems, Standards for Accuracy and Durability – Chapter 434‐663 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). These requirements must be met to authorize the use of scanned images as replacements for the original paper records.
Scanning policies must include specific information on the following five topics:
- Records Retention Requirements
- Technical Scanning Requirements
- Storage Location and Access
- Filing and Organization
- Preservation and Disposition
We encourage you to use our Scanning Policy Builder to aid in drafting a departmental scanning policy that meets all University and State requirements.
- If you are scanning records into ARIBA or Workday, you should be following the University-wide scanning policy which allows you to dispose of any original paper source documents as soon as they have been uploaded.
- For all other records, If you already have a scanning policy on file with our office, the original paper copies are considered duplicates and can be destroyed.
- If you do not have a scanning policy on file with our office, the original paper copies remain the legal copy of the record and must be stored and maintained for their full retention period.
While you are welcome to retain the paper records within your office, we encourage you to use our Scanning Policy Builder to aid in drafting a departmental scanning policy that meets all University and State requirements.
Our office has written a University-wide ARIBA scanning policy for your use. Every office is expected to follow this policy which allows you to dispose of any original paper source documents (as well as any departmental copies of scanned images) as soon as they have been uploaded to ARIBA.
For those of you with SNAP grants, the use of this policy eliminates the need to keep your own copies of SNAP grant-related financial records in your office.
If you want to scan then destroy the original paper record, your office must have a written Scanning Policy on file with UW Records Management Services. We encourage you to use our Scanning Policy Builder to aid in drafting a departmental scanning policy that meets all University and State requirements.