Records Management Forms and Training

As an alternative to digitizing records, offsite storage may be a viable option.  As the UTHSA Warehouse no longer accepts records for storage, some university offices are using a selected offsite records storage facility, which is a cost-effective alternative for records that are rarely accessed but that must be retained according to the Records Retention Schedule (RRS). Note that the owning department is responsible for the recurring monthly fees and for retaining/disposing stored records according to the RRS.

Iron Mountain is a records storage company that provides low-cost secure off-site record storage, document scanning, and record destruction services negotiated through the UT Supply Chain Alliance.

FAQ: What will happen in the future when I have boxes ready to store?

You will need to contact Iron Mountain directly. You will be able to coordinate a direct pick-up from them and will be charged accordingly per the PID you provide.

State Requirements 

Many departments are moving from paper-based records to digital records. This is accomplished in two main ways: scanning the paper records so they will become digital or starting with digital records (born-digital) and storing them as the official record copy.

Moving from paper records to digital records is not a records management issue because the University’s Records Retention Schedule and archival principles apply equally to all records. Records are records, no matter what format.

The process of scanning/digitizing paper records into a digital format is a reformatting issue. Migrating from paper to electronic records is a workflow issue.

The State of Texas does not have a preference for the format in which agency records exist; however, the State does have specific requirements for the technical specifications and ongoing management of electronic records. For more information, see the Texas Administrative Code (see TITLE 13, PART 1, STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS) and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s State Agency Bulletin 1: Electronic Records Standards and Procedures.

FAQ: Can I destroy a paper original after digitizing?

The short answer is yes. A paper original, once scanned, becomes a copy. The scanned copy will be the new original format. However, you need to be sure the digital copy is readable and accessible before disposing, for example, is the scanned image of good quality? Are the e-records reliably backed-up? View more information.

FAQ: What is the difference between records and non-records?

Records and Non-Records

The distinction between records and non-records is important because only active records are covered by the Records Retention Schedule (RRS). After that period of time, records are either added to archived collections or disposed of.

Record: recorded information, in any format, created or received in the course of performing university business and maintained as evidence of and information about the transaction of university business. This information meets the definition of a state record in the Texas Government Code, Texas Government Code, §441.031 and §441.180.

Record Copy: the primary copy of recorded information – often referred to as the “official” record. The official record copy must be retained according to the Records Retention Schedule and must be listed on a Records Disposition Log prior to disposition.

Non-record: recorded information that has no administrative, legal, fiscal, or archival value. Non-records do not have any retention requirement; they may be disposed of at any time and do not require a Records Disposition Log.

Convenience Copy: additional copies of records that are held by individuals or offices. Convenience copies are often distributed for information, are not necessarily related to the function of the department, their existence in the department does not trigger an action, and are exact duplicates of the record copy. Convenience copies are considered non-records as long as they are held no longer than the retention period for the record copy.

Note: Convenience copies are not records, and thus they are not covered by the Records Retention Schedule. You can dispose of convenience copies at any time, and you do not need to fill out a Records Disposition Log. The purpose of the RDL is to verify that the records listed on the form no longer exist anywhere in any format. But when you dispose of a convenience copy, you are not disposing of the record – you’re disposing a non-record, and the official record exists elsewhere.