What is a vital record?

Vital records are recorded information of any physical format that must be protected in the event of an emergency or disaster to prevent severe conquences to the office and the University as a whole. They are records that, if lost or destroyed, would be both costly and time consuming to recreate - if they can be recreated at all. They can be active (currently used by the office) or inactive (in storage).

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What is a retention schedule?

A retention schedule is a list of the the types of records (record series) created and received by an institution. Records Management Services writes the retention schedules used by the University. Retention schedules list how long each record series must be kept (the retention period), when the retention period starts (the cut-off), and the proper way to dispose of the record once retention is met (the disposition method).

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What is a cut-off?

The cut-off signals the point at which the retention period begins for a particular type of record.  Cut-offs are intended to line up with the way the records are typically organized (e.g. by fiscal, calendar, or academic year). For example, the cut-off for many types of financial records is the end of the fiscal year.

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What is a record?

  • As a state agency, everything the University community creates - both in hardcopy and electronically - is considered a record, regardless of physical form or characteristic. 
  • University records are public records and may not be destroyed, transferred to the University Records Center, or transferred to the University Archives without an official retention period approved by the State Records Committee.
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