Vassar College hereby adopts this Records Storage and Management Policy to promote the consistent and cost-effective management of its records throughout their life cycle; that is, throughout their creation, use, maintenance, and ultimate disposition. The Advisory Group on Records Management will supervise implementation of the policy ¹.

1. Participation. Offices of the college are encouraged to complete a records retention schedule listing records series produced by the office (not a detailed file inventory) and the ultimate disposition of the records series. Retention periods should be developed in keeping with operational and fiscal/legal requirements. Records retention schedule forms will be provided, and when completed must be approved and signed by the office/department head, supervising dean or vice-president, and Head of Archives & Special Collections.

2. Archival Material. Records of historical value (as noted on retention schedules) are candidates for inclusion in the College Archives. When this determination is made, the Head of Archives and Special Collections will work with the office or department to arrange for the transfer of appropriate records to the Archives.

3. Inactive Records and Records Center. Vassar College maintains an off-site records storage facility in order to maintain certain inactive records of the College requiring secure storage for infrequent retrieval and use of the records. Offices wishing to use the facility must submit a proposal outlining space needs and including their completed retention schedules. The Advisory Group on Records Management will review the proposal, and additional information and site visits may be necessary to develop the most effective plan for offsite storage of inactive files. Preference will be given to records that must be retained under law or to meet standards of good operating practice that are widely recognized.

4. Storage Methods. To make maximum use of the storage space and to facilitate storage and retrieval, all records approved for the facility must be stored in standard file storage boxes, appropriately identified. Participating offices and departments will purchase and load the boxes, retaining an inventory that identifies the boxes by content labels. Buildings and Grounds staff will pick up and deliver the boxes for a standard fee to cover transport and labor.

5. Alternative Storage Methods. Whenever appropriate, records should be transferred to microfilm, imaging or other technologies for compact storage that may be suitable for use in the future. The Advisory Group on Records Management will seek to advise departments and offices based on new developments in technology and storage equipment. Microform readers are available in the library.

6. Security and Access. Boxes will be retrieved for offices and departments on request, normally within one week of the request unless the issue is urgent.

7. Destruction of Inactive Records. Departments and offices are responsible for ensuring that inactive records earmarked for destruction on their retention schedules are destroyed in an appropriate and timely manner.

[1] The Advisory Group on Records Management will consist of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, the Library Director, the Head of Archives and Special Collections, the Registrar/Director of Institutional Research, the Executive Director of Buildings and Grounds, the Vice President for Computing and Information Services, the Assistant Director of Purchasing, and the Dean of Studies.

 

Approved by the Senior Officers of Vassar College, April 2003

Revised July 2006