Authorized User – Serves as the liaison between their unit, the Records Management Program, and the State Records Center (SRC). Authorized Users are assigned to manage the records being stored at the SRC on behalf of a specific department.
Box Description – A clear description of the contents that will be entered into Versatile for each box, written in a way that anyone could understand what the box contains.
Disposition – Specific directions regarding the way records are to be disposed of at the end of their retention period. Disposition methods may include destroy, destroy confidentially, and transfer to archives.
Inventory – Each individual box sent offsite to the SRC by a unit and managed by the SRC’s Inventory Management System.
Non-Record – Information or documents that do not meet the definition of a public record as defined by Wis. Stat. § 16.61, e.g., convenience copies, working drafts, reference materials, duplicates, etc. Non-records may be disposed of when no longer needed.
Office of Record – The administrative unit that is designated for maintenance, preservation, and disposition of the “official” public record.
Official Record – The record identified as being “the” true and complete source record of an item at the university. There is only one official record. All other iterations are “convenience copies” and can be discarded when no longer needed but should not remain longer than the records retention schedule defines for the official record.
Public Records – Public records include all information, regardless of format, created or received by university units or employees acting within the scope of their duties on behalf of the University as defined by Wis. Stat. § 16.61(2)(b).
State Records Center (SRC) – a facility operated by the Wisconsin Department of Administration that offers offsite records storage and other services for state and local government agencies.
Records Management Program – The UW-Madison program office charged with helping units manage public records in compliance with state and federal legal requirements through a variety of services. This office is managed by the University Records Officer.
Retention Event – As part of a records retention schedule, this defines the event that triggers starting the calculation of the record’s retention period.
Retention Period – As part of a records retention schedule, this identifies the length of time a record must be kept. This is usually expressed in terms of years, months, or days and is triggered by the retention event listed in a records retention schedule.
Records Retention Schedule – A policy describing types of public records, how long to keep them, and what happens to them at the end of their legal retention period.
State Records Center – A secure, low-cost facility operated by the Wisconsin Department of Administration that offers offsite records storage for state government agencies, including UW-Madison.
Schedule Number – A unique number that identifies a records retention schedule.
Schedule Title – Describes what type of records this schedule applies to; titles can be very specific or very broad.
University Records Officers – University staff charged with carrying out the responsibilities of the Records Management Program.
Versatile – The name of the inventory system used by the SRC to manage the boxes that units store there.