Developing a Records Schedule

A retention and disposition schedule is a document that lists all the records series in your office. Your schedule tells you how long to keep the records series and when to destroy them or transfer them to University Archives.

Records schedules are required under North Carolina General Statute 132. Records, no matter how insignificant cannot be destroyed unless a records retention and disposition schedule has been approved by University Archives and Records Management Services and the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The records management liaison in your office should be able to provide you with a copy of your schedule and aid in its interpretation.

Below are the steps in creating and/or updating a schedule:

• Appoint a Records Management Liaison (RML) for your department and submit a RML Appointment Form.
• Download and complete the schedule creation forms using the following: Standard & Unique Records Series, Schedule Request Instructions and the Standard Records Series Descriptions .
• Upon completing these forms, send them to University Archives and Records Management Services and request a draft records retention and disposition schedule.
• The completed draft will be sent to the Records Management Liaison for review. The Records Management Liaison should share the schedule with all concerned parties in the office/department, and contact University Archives and Records Management Services with any questions or comments. Once the draft is acceptable to the department/office, the Records Management Liaison should sign a printed copy of the draft schedule (on all pages) and return it to University Archives and Records Management Services.
• University Archives and Records Management Services will submit the draft for review by the University Archivist and Department of Cultural Resources
• Upon receipt of these reviews, a final signature version of the cchedule will be sent to the Records Management Liaison, along with an internal signature sheet. This requires the signatures of the Records Management Liaison and Department Head. Return the signature sheet with a copy of the schedule to University Archives and Records Management Services.
• The schedule with internal and external signatures sheets are then sent to the Department of Cultural Resources for final approval.
• An approved schedule, with scans of all signature pages, will be sent to the Records Management Liaison in PDF format upon return from the Department of Cultural Resources. The schedule will also be available on the Approved Schedules webpage.
• If you have any questions about this process or the status of a schedule, please contact University Archives and Records Management Services at 962-6402 or email recman@unc.edu

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