Managing Records: Starting a Program
Starting a Program:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long do I have to keep records?
How long do I have to keep electronic records?
Do you have any grants for records management or
archives projects?
How should I go about hiring a consultant in
records management?
How can I as a state agency legally throw away records?
Do you provide inactive records storage services?
How should I set up a records center or records storage
area?
How can I dispose of large quantities of paper records?
Can I store government records off-site in leased
storage space?
I'm just starting out. Where should I begin to address
records management issues?
Where can I get help developing records management policies?
Where can I get training in records management and archives?
Where can I find answers to other Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)?
How long do I have to keep records?
The legal retention period of records depends on the function of the records,
legal requirements and the administrative or other use of the records.
If you are a local government, check the retention schedule for your specific
type of government (county, school district, municipality or miscellaneous)
for retention periods for specific records. If you are state agency, check
the State General Schedule for some retention periods. However, most state
agencies will need to work with the State Archives to develop retention
schedules for their records. Records in all formats (hardcopy and electronic) must be retained beyond the minimum retention period when they are relevant to a FOIL request, audit, or legal investigation.
Contact the State Archives at (518) 474-6926 or via email at RECMGMT@mail.nysed.gov for more information on scheduling state agency records. For more information on the retention of records, see Publication #41 Records Retention and Disposition of Records. The Archives also offers a Using State Archives Retention Schedules workshop in the fall. No matter what, be sure to talk to your state agency Records Management Officer or local government Records Management Officer before you discard any records.
How long do I have to keep electronic records?
The legal retention period for records is not determined by their format. Instead, retention depends on the function of the records and their legal, administrative, and fiscal value. If you are from a local government, check the retention schedule for your type of government (county, school district, municipality or miscellaneous) for the appropriate retention periods for your records. If you are from a state agency, use the State General Schedule and your agency-specific records schedules to determine how long to keep your records. (If your records are not scheduled, contact your State Archives representative.) Records in all formats (hardcopy and electronic) must be retained beyond the minimum retention period when they are relevant to a FOIL request, audit, or legal investigation.
For more information on the retention of records, see Publication #41, Retention and Disposition of Records. The Archives also offers a workshop on using State Archives retention schedules every fall. Be sure to contact your Records Management Officer or the State Archives if you have any questions concerning the legal disposition of records. You can reach us at (518) 474-6926 or via email at RECMGMT@mail.nysed.gov.
Do you have any grants for records management
or archives projects?
The State Archives oversees the Local Government Records Management Improvement
Fund (LGRMIF), which annually awards millions of dollars for records management
and archives grants to local governments across the state. For more information
on the LGRMIF grants program, see the grants
section of the Archives' website. This grants program is only for
local governments; the Archives does not award any grants to state agencies.
How should I go about hiring a consultant
in records management?
There are a number of basic issues you should address whenever hiring
a records management consultant, including how to choose a consultant,
how write up a contract, and how to oversee a project. For detailed information
on hiring consultants, see Publication #44 Records
Management Consultants. The State
Archives maintains
lists of consultants who do various types of records management consulting.
For a copy of these lists, contact the State Archives at (518) 474-6926,
via email at RECMGMT@mail.nysed.gov,
or find them online our website.
How can I as a state agency legally throw away
records?
State agencies can legally dispose of records only if they have approved
Records Disposition Authorizations in place for the records. State agencies
should work with the State Archives to develop retention schedules for
their specific records. Contact the State Archives at (518) 474-6926 or
via email at RECMGMT@mail.nysed.gov
for more information on scheduling state agency records.
Do you provide inactive records storage services?
The State Archives does provide records
storage services for a fee to state agencies. For more information
contact the State Archives at (518) 474-6926 or via email at RECMGMT@mail.nysed.gov.
How should I set up a records center or records
storage area?
Before setting up a storage area for inactive paper records, you should
carefully plan for it. You need to consider how to provide security, how
you will arrange shelving, and how you will locate and retrieve records
from the area among other things. For more information on developing and
maintaining a records center, contact the State Archives Regional
Advisory Officer in your region of the state. Also, see Publication #48 Developing
an
Inactive Records Storage Facility and Publication #49 Administration of Inactive
Records. The Archives also offers
an Inactive Records Management workshop in the fall.
How can I dispose of large quantities of paper
records?
Figuring how to destroy large quantities of paper records can be a difficult.
One good solution is to use the services of a vendor that recycles paper.
Such vendors certify the destruction of records and can make special accommodations
for confidential records. Any state or local government agency in New
York may now use the services of Yank Waste Company Inc.
for secure
and environmentally acceptable disposal and recycling of bulk quantities
of obsolete paper records at no cost. The services include pick-up, secure
handling and, if necessary, shredding. The services are provided under
the terms of a statewide contract administered by the State Archives'
Records Center
Services. For additional information about the contract, contact State
Archives Records Center Services at (518) 457-3171 or via email at records@mail.nysed.gov..
Can I store government records off-site in leased
storage space?
Local governments and state agencies do not have to store their records
in their own facilities. They can store their records in commercial records
storage facilities, and state agencies can also store their records at
the State Records Center on the State Office Campus
in Albany. For more guidance on storing records off-site, see Publication #42
Off-Site Storage of Inactive
Local Government Records, or contact
the State Archives at (518) 474-6926 or via email at RECMGMT@mail.nysed.gov.
I'm just starting out. Where should I begin to
address records management issues?
One of the most interesting challenges in records management is getting
started. If your government or agency has never tackled records management
before there can be a lot of work ahead of you. First, you have to start
by getting preliminary control over your records. Many government agencies
accomplish this by conducting records inventories, developing or implementing
retention schedules, and establishing inactive storage areas. Find out more about our services for local governments, state agencies, or historical records repositories. For more
information about getting started, see the Starting a Program section of the website.
Where can I get help developing records management
policies?
The State Archives can provide a great deal of help to anyone developing
records management policies. First, contact the State Archives Regional
Advisory Officer in your region of the state and discuss your specific
issues and ask for any sample policies. You may also contact the State
Archives central office at (518) 474-6926, especially if you are an Albany-based
state agency. You also might consider attending our policies workshops,
which are usually given in the spring of every year. Many of our publications
include sample policies or discuss the development of policies in specific
areas, so order publications on topics that interest you.
Where can I get training in records management
and archives?
The State Archives provides workshops free of charge to local governments
and state agencies, and others are welcome to attend.
The Archives holds workshops across the state in two different
seasons each year (spring/summer and fall/winter). We announce the workshop and webinar schedule
via our website. Workshop registration is an easy and free self-service process that you can do on our website 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The State Archives
can also present specialized workshops for individual governments, agencies
or associations. For more information or special requests, contact the State
Archives Regional
Advisory Officer in your region of the state or contact the Training Unit at ARCHTRAIN@mail.nysed.gov or (518) 474-6926.
