Newsletter: Sweater Weather and Sorted Records

Calling All Aspiring Retirees

Are you or is someone in your office retiring in December or at the end of the academic year? It can take much more time than people think to prepare, but luckily we have a useful - but brief! - training that will provide all the information you will need to get your records in order. Spoiler alert: you should not just put everything in a folder named after you, like “Megan’s Files” and leave it all for your successor. Check out our Offboarding training here.  In addition to the training, we also have an Offboarding checklist you can download and fill out. Email us at recmgt@uw.edu with questions that come up as you plan. You can even set up one or several consults with us to help keep you on track throughout the preparation process -  especially if you had a bunch of emails you thought might be helpful and were saving for a rainy day.

Are you or is someone in your office retiring in December or at the end of the academic year? It can take much more time than people think to prepare, but luckily we have a useful - but brief! - training that will provide all the information you will need to get your records in order. Spoiler alert: you should not just put everything in a folder named after you, like “Megan’s Files” and leave it all for your successor. Check out our Offboarding training here.  In addition to the training, we also have an Offboarding checklist you can download and fill out. Email us at recmgt@uw.edu with questions that come up as you plan. You can even set up one or several consults with us to help keep you on track throughout the preparation process -  especially if you had a bunch of emails you thought might be helpful and were saving for a rainy day.

 

Our Guidance Keeps All the Records in the Yard

Join us for a live demo event where we’ll convey best practices for naming and organizing electronic files and folders. You can learn tips and tricks to apply to your office’s records and make your office’s work more efficient and streamlined.

When: December 10, 2-3pm

Where: Zoom link

 

Excited to dive in before the event? We’ve got some web resources you can check out in the meantime:

Recommendations on File/Folder Naming Conventions

Best Practices for Folder Structure

Structuring Electronic Files

 

UW General Records Retention Schedule Changes

In our efforts to ensure the UW General Records Retention Schedule is as up-to-date and as easy to use as possible, we have made several additions and revisions.  Of special note, which we hope will make compliance less challenging, is the change to the cut-off trigger for Performance Evaluations. And a special shout out to the focus group who contributed greatly to our new items for Emeritus Faculty.  We really could not have done this without your time, patience and insight.

 

New Series

• Notary Public Journals

Official Copy:  Any Office

Retention:  10 years after last notarial act chronicled in journal

Disposition Method:  Shred/Delete

• Personnel Records for Emeritus Faculty – Official Copy
  Official Copy: Academic Human Resources

Retention: 50 years after start date of emeritus appointment

Disposition Method: Shred/Delete

• Personnel Records for Emeritus Faculty/Librarians – Other Copy
  Other Copy: College/School or Department

Retention: 10 years after start date of emeritus academic appointment

Disposition Method: Shred/Delete

• Report of Project Status
  Official Copy: Principal Investigator
  Retention: 6 years after close of study
  Disposition Method: Shred/Delete

 

Updated/Amended Series

• Controlled Substances, Program Administration
  Series title and description changed to only include administration records and testing collection records were removed.
  The retention period was reduced from 6 years to 5 years after end of calendar year.
• Controlled Substances/Alcohol Testing Collection Records
  Series title and description changed to include only testing collection records. This series is separate from the Program Administration records (see above). The retention period is 2 years after end of calendar year.
• Equipment Maintenance/Service Reports
  The retention period was reduced from 6 years to 3 years after service date.
• Key Card Records (not to be mistaken with Key Cards)

The series description now includes students.

• Outreach Programs
  The disposition method changed from archival to shred/delete.
• Promotional Materials

      The disposition method changed from archival to shred/delete.

• Performance Evaluations

      The cut-off changed from "Completion of next evaluation" to Completion of Evaluation disposition method changed from archival to shred/delete.

UW General Records Retention Schedule Update

We are halfway through a review and update of the UW General Schedule and would like your input.  If you have any recommendations for new items to add to the General Schedule, recommendations for revisions to record title/description that would make it easier to find items, or even recommendations for revisions to retention periods and triggers, please don’t hesitate to share them with us. While many of our current retention periods are required by either Federal or State statute or regulation, we are open to suggestions that would make compliance easier for you.  Please don’t hesitate to contact Barb Benson at bbenson@uw.edu with any thoughts you might have.

FETCH THE FUTURE...GO DIGITAL
Click here to watch the video on this University-wide initiative.