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Records Management Week

What is Records Management Week?

Records Management Week is an initiative organised by the Office of Governance and Secretariat. It ran for the first time in summer 2010 and continues as an annual exercise. It is designed to raise awareness of the University's  Records Management Policy [PDF 22.94KB] and Master Records Retention Schedule [PDF 162.89KB]. Good records management is an ongoing process but the week aims to kick-start a wider understanding of records management issues and to commence the process of sorting through and where necessary disposing of unnecessary files within the context of the Policy and Schedule.

What does it involve for my School or Division?

Within Records Management Week, all Schools and Divisions are encouraged to set aside a day or half-day when staff are freed up to focus their time on records management activities. In this designated time, staff should try to sort through their old files, destroy redundant material and where appropriate archive any master records for permanent preservation in line with the Master Records Retention Schedule. The process of course does not take an entire week but this timeframe should allow local units the necessary flexibility to carry out any records management tasks without unduly disrupting their normal duties.

Under the terms of the Records Management Policy, operational responsibility for records management matters within Schools rests with School Administrators/Managers and within Professional Services Divisions with the relevant Director (or nominee).

As a School Administrator or Professional Services Director, what should I do to coordinate records management activities during the week?

The following points should be borne in mind when coordinating any records management activities in your School or Division during Records Management Week:

• As a School Administrator/Manager or the Director of a Professional Services Division you are responsible for the management of records in your School or Division. As a result it is important that any sorting and disposal activities are properly supervised to ensure that staff are operating within the terms of the University's Records Management Policy and in line with the specific records handling protocols set out in the Master Records Retention Schedule (which itself reflects national legislation and guidance).
• Familiarising yourself - and directing staff to - the Records Management Policy, the Master Records Retention Schedule (including the introductory matter on pages 4-7), and the associated guidance produced by the Office of Governance and Secretariat will help to ensure that any activities are conducted in an orderly and systematic manner - the idea is not to throw papers out at any cost!
• It is sensible for staff to start by weeding out and where appropriate destroying their paper records. If there is time to address electronic records as well these should be handled according to the same principles - i.e. they should be deleted, maintained within the user's electronic file space, or labelled for future archiving as part of the University of Sussex Collection (the institutional archive).
• It would be a good idea to keep a summary note of exactly what's being disposed of by members of your team. As you can see from the retention periods listed in the Master Records Retention Schedule, there are some records that quite legitimately should not be destroyed at this time. The aim is not to create space within filing cabinets and offices for its own sake, but to maintain the University's records in a consistent manner and in line with published policy across the various Schools and Divisions.
• When disposing of old paper records, try to distinguish between sensitive material that should be placed into confidential waste sacks (or shredded locally, though see the next bullet point below) and more general files that contain nothing of any sensitivity and should instead be placed into recycling bins. There is always some judgement involved in assessing the sensitivity of records, but as a rule examples of sensitive materials are commercially confidential information, the personal data of individuals, legally privileged communications or valuable financial statistics. Usually the sensitivity of records decreases with time. Please note, though, that this does not apply to documents containing the personal information of named individuals; these retain their sensitivity for the duration of that individual's life and therefore should always be disposed of using confidential waste sacks or by shredding.

• Relevant facilities management colleagues are aware of Records Management Week and will be prepared to assist with the removal of disposed material as necessary. Please try to use confidential waste sacks wherever possible instead of shredding material yourselves - sacks are available from the EFM Division. If there are any records that require permanent archiving in the Library as part of the University of Sussex Collection, specialist staff there have been briefed about Records Management Week and should be available to assist you if required.

Whom should I contact with queries?

Records Management Week is an initiative of the Office of Governance and Secretariat and comments or queries should be addressed in the first instance to Alice Robertson, the Data Protection Officer (dpo@sussex.ac.uk).