Policies, Procedures, and Forms
RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS RETENTION, SECURITY, AND CONTROL3-0190 ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE August 2010
INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL STATEMENT
1.01
Official documents and records created from University operations are to be retained and preserved for documentation and future references in compliance with recommendations and guidelines prescribed by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Records Management Division. Such documents and records may be copied and released, when necessary, according to the procedures set out below.
1.02
This policy is to be used as a guideline for the retention, copy release and disposal of certain documents and records to provide adequate documentation required by law and audit requirements.
1.03
Many documents produced by the OSU system must be retained until official release can be secured. Other documents are required to be retained by federal laws which are applicable because of federal funding received by Oklahoma State University. University policy, therefore, is established to comply with these two requirements and to provide a consistent procedure for document retention, for providing copies to agencies or individuals when requested in the public interest, and finally, proper disposal.
UNIVERSITY POLICY AND STATE LAW
2.01
All University offices and departments are responsible for reviewing and maintaining records according to the retention schedules set forth in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Records Management Division, General Records Disposition Schedules for State Universities and Colleges
2.02
The University Archivist, who can be contacted through the Library Special Collections and University Archives Department, is responsible for appraising and preserving University records. The archives serves as the official depository for public records created by the University. Use of the archived material is approved by the Archivist.
2.03
The Records Management Coordinator, who can be contacted through the Office of Budget and Asset Management, coordinates compliance with State requirements and initiates directives for records management. The Records Management Coordinator approves requests to dispose of documents.
PROCEDURES
3.01
The timetable for retention of documents and records is located at http://www.odl.state.ok.us/oar/recordsmgt/grds-education.htm and shall be used as a guideline 3-0190.2 for retention, imaging, and disposal of documents and records at Oklahoma State University. The website is reviewed periodically and modified as needed by the State Records Management division and by the University’s Records Management Coordinator who can request revisions of existing disposition schedules or propose new schedules as needed.
3.02
All departments that wish to destroy documents must submit a request to the University Archivist. The Archivist and the Records Management Coordinator must approve the request before seeking final approval from the State Records Administrator,after which the documents will be destroyed. All documents should be shredded in the presence of a witness. Both the person administering the shredding and the witness must sign a certification of shredding which will then be filed with the University’s Records Management Coordinator or a Certificate of Shredding Completion should be provided if the department engages a contracted shredding company.
3.03
When an office wishes to forward records to the official archives, a written request must be submitted to the University Archivist with a summary of the materials involved. Upon return of the approved request, the department may then work with the University Archivist for delivery to the Archives or arrange for remote storage as may be needed.
3.04
Requests for copying and document review are to be made on appropriate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) form to the Director, Office of Communications Services during normal business hours.
3.05
Oklahoma State University charges a fee for the direct cost of copying. Any request for materials that will be used solely for commercial purposes, or those requests that will cause excessive disruption of work will be charged at a rate to recover the direct costs of document search plus copying costs.
3.06
Fees for copying and excessive document search are set out on a schedule displayed at the Archives Copying Services Center of the Library.
Approved by:
President Boger: June 15, 1988
Revision Approved:
August 2010