What is a Records Retention Schedule?

In Wisconsin, we have laws that favor broad access to state records to ensure that the public has the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of the government. Managing and providing this information is an integral part of the routine duties of state employees. To meet these responsibilities, we can’t just throw everything away when we feel like it and we can’t keep everything forever, so how do we determine what we need to keep and for how long? 

We use records retention schedules which are policies for a certain type of record. Record retention schedules:

• Describe and categorize similar types of records
• Mandate how long the records must be kept 
• Mandate what happens to records at the end of their retention period 

Note that employees cannot legally destroy university records if those records are not covered by an approved records retention schedule. If you can’t find a records retention schedule for your records, contact the Records Management Program.

Reading a Records Retention Schedule

Records retention schedules may vary in appearance, but they all have the same components. Here is a breakdown of the information you can expect to find in a records retention schedule. Remember this applies to all records, regardless if they are in paper or electronic formats:

Universities of Wisconsin Administrative Records Retention Schedules

• Schedule Number: Each schedule has a unique RDA or schedule number. The schedule number in this example is ADMIN402. 
• Schedule Title: The title of the records retention schedule briefly describes what type of records this schedule applies to. Sometimes titles are very specific, or they can be very broad. In the example, the series title is Project Records.
• Description: The schedule will also have a description of the records included. Descriptions provide information about what the records in the series are used for, the types of records that are included in that schedule, and any legal citations indicating restrictions or confidentiality of the records. In this example, it describes what kinds of records you may hold that fall under project records and provides a few examples such as meeting agendas and minutes, email correspondence, project reports, member lists and responsibilities.
  
  Descriptions rarely list every single type of record that may be related to the series. Schedules often include broader language to say “may include but not limited to” to allow for variations, in this example, between different types of projects.
• Retention Event and Retention Period: The retention event and retention period work together to tell you how long the record needs to be held and the event that triggers the calculation of that time period. In this example, the retention event is the date the project is completed and the retention period states you should keep the record for 5 years from the date the project is completed.

• Disposition: Disposition describes what to do with the record once it reaches the end of its retention period. The general types of disposition are:
  • Destroy means that it can be either thrown in the trash, or deleted. 
  • Destroy Confidential means that it should be shredded or disposed of in a way where the record can’t be retrieved if electronic. 
  • Transfer to Archives is for records that have been identified as having historical or research value. 

Again, records can only be disposed of or transferred at the end of the retention period. However if they are part of an active public records request, litigation process, or audit they must still be retained by the Office of Record until those activities have ended.

Records retention schedules are broadly written for many offices across the University of Wisconsin System as well as other state agencies. Therefore they do not include information specific to your office, including the location and format of the records in your office, your unit’s processes, and how responsibilities for management of those records are shared among staff.

How to Determine a Records Retention Schedule for Inventory 

Before you start entering your boxes into the SRC’s inventory system, you will need to determine the records retention schedule that should be applied to each box. The contents of a box should all follow the same records retention schedule to ensure that records are held the appropriate amount of time.

There are several ways to do this:

1. Review the Records Retention Schedules on the UW-Madison Records Retention Schedules and Disposition webpage.
   
   All records retention schedules available to units under the UW-Madison umbrella can be found on this page and are arranged by function. The most common schedules can be found on the Administrative, Human Resources, Fiscal & Accounting, and Student schedules.
   
   If you are not able to associate your box with one of the common schedules, review the schedule list and try to determine which functional area to search in based on the title.
   
   Also on this page is a link to UDDS/Department Specific Records. This takes you to a page that lists various university units. Clicking on any one of these displays schedules under that area with UDDS-Specific schedules for records unique to them. These schedules may only be available for that specific unit to use. 
2. Review your current Versatile inventory to see which schedules were used previously for your area and then crosscheck those with the records retention schedules on the UW-Madison Records Retention Schedules and Disposition webpage. Keep in mind that records retention schedules change over time and previous people may not have assigned inventory to the correct schedules.
3. If you are unable to determine which records retention schedule to use, reach out to the Records Management Program with questions.

How to Apply Records Retention Schedules in Versatile

Once you have determined the schedule you will use, make a note of it so that you can find it in Versatile. 

Follow the steps in SRC Training Resources guide “Creating UW Inventory in Versatile and Sending Boxes to the State Records Center” to enter this information into Versatile.