Records Management Services
Welcome! The mission of
Records Management Services is to provide
information, training, and support to the campus in
all areas of identifying, managing, and retaining
official state records.
As a state
agency, it is the University's responsibility to
comply with local, state, and federal mandates.
Records Management Services has a shared
responsibility with Records Management Contacts
across campus to systematically control the records
of the University from their creation to their
final disposition.
What is records
management?
Records management is the systematic control of
records from creation to final disposition. In
other words, it is the management of a record
during its entire life cycle. The life cycle of a
record begins when it is created and ends at its
final disposition whether that be destruction of
the record or transfer of the record to
archives.
What is a Records Management
Contact?
Records Management Contacts
manage records and submit requests to dispose of
state records. They are responsible for obtaining
training and information regarding UT Austin
records management policy. Every department is
required to designate a Records Management Contact
in the
UT Department System.
What does records management have to do
with my department?
Each department at the University has a
responsibility to preserve and protect all records
that are under its control. The best way to do this
is to understand the kinds of records that your
department maintains and actively manage them on a
day to day basis. Each department also has the
responsibility to follow the polices and procedures
of good records management as set out in this web
site.
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Benefits of departmental
records management
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- Allows timely response to Open
Records Requests
- Improves customer service
- Protects historical, legal,
financial, vital, and archived
records
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- Frees office space
- Identifies location of
records
- Reduces liability to the
University
- Facilitates recovery of records
in the event of a disaster
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What are records? Do we
have any in our department?
A record is any written, photographic,
machine-readable, or other information created or
received that documents activities in the conduct
of State business.
No official state records may be destroyed
without permission from the Texas State Library as
outlined in
Texas Government Code, Section 441.187
and
13 Texas Administrative Code, Title 13, Part 1,
Chapter 6, Subchapter A, Rule 6.7. The
Texas State Library certifies Agency retention
schedules as a means of granting permission to
destroy official state records.
The current University of Texas at Austin
Records Retention Schedule
(UTRRS) was certified by the
Texas State Library and Archives Commission as of
September 29, 2004 as well as by the State
Auditor's Office. It has been adopted as an
administrative rule of the University. All official
state records (paper, microform, electronic, or any
other media) listed on the UTRRS must be retained
for the minimum period designated. Once official
state records have met their retention period, they
must be disposed of in accordance with the polices
and procedures as described in this web site.
What about all of the other files in our
department?
The following items are not considered official
state records:
- Extra copies (known as convenience copies)
maintained only for reference
- A stock of publications or blank forms
- Catalogs or trade journals
Where do I begin in managing my
records?
A
checklist has been developed to help you
through the steps of managing the records in your
department. Completing all items on the checklist
should be a long term goal of every department. If
you have records that have met their retention
period according to the
UTRRS and you need to
dispose of them immediately, you will need to
complete either Form A or Form B of the
Request for Internal
Approval to Dispose of State Record Forms.
The following guide has been developed to help
you navigate through the various pages of this web
site.
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Records
Management Guide
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Checklist for Records
Management
This
is the place for a new records
management contact to start. It
lists the policies and procedures to
be followed to classify and dispose
of records in the department.
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The University of Texas at
Austin Records Retention Schedule
(UTRRS)
Schedule
lists all of the information pertaining
to identified official records of The
University of Texas at Austin. It also
indicates the minimum length of time
listed records series must be retained
before destruction or archival
preservation. |
Disposal of Records
Overview
Overview of
the Request for Internal Approval to
Dispose of State Records forms. |
Request
for Internal Approval to Dispose of State
Records Forms
Interactive PDF forms that are completed in
order to dispose of state records.
Form A - For Records Not
Requiring Archival Review
Form B - For Records Requiring
Archival Review |
Quick Reference Guide for
Retention Destruction
Dates
Helpful guide
to calculate dates when records have met
their retention period. |
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Austin
Task - vendor to use for
destruction of confidential records |
Subscribe to Mailing
Lists
Information and
instructions regarding mailing lists to
receive important information about
records management. |
Training
Resources
Information
about the variety of ways that the
records management staff provides
training to departments. |
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Frequently Asked
Questions |
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Contact Records Management Services
Staff |
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