Active Record: A record that is necessary for the conduct of current business.
Administrative Record: See Record.
Disposition: The systematic treatment of records that have reached the end of their retention period. Options for disposition are: transfer to University Archives, and disposal.
Inactive Record: A record that is no longer necessary for the conduct of current business, but has not yet reached the end of its retention period.
Long-term Retention: A retention period of more than five years (including permanent retention).
Non-record: Material that is of immediate value only. Non-records are not maintained as university administrative records, are not assigned retention periods, and are not subject to records disposition guidelines. (See IV.B for examples.)
Record1: Any writing, regardless of physical form or characteristics, containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used, or retained by an operating unit or employee of the university. “Writing” means handwriting, typewriting, printing, photostating, photographing, photocopying, transmitting by electronic mail or facsimile, and every other means of recording upon any tangible thing any form of communication or representation, including letters, words, pictures, sounds, or symbols, or combination thereof, and any record thereby created, regardless of the manner in which the record has been stored.
The term “administrative record” is used to describe any record that documents or contains valuable information related to the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other business activities of the university.
Record Custodian: The individual with responsibility for maintenance of a repository of records.1 Definition is modeled on language contained in the California Public Records Act (see Ca. Govt. Code § 6252(e) and (f)). Introduction Revised September 2004 RMP-2 4 of 30
Record Proprietor: The individual with management responsibility for the records associated with a university administrative function.
Records Lifecycle: The three stages through which records are to be managed: (1) creation or receipt; (2) use; and (3) disposition.
Records Management Coordinator: The individual at each campus and at the Office of the President responsible for the development, coordination, implementation, and management of the Records Management Program at that location.
Records Retention: The maintenance of records for prescribed time periods. See also: Long-term Retention and Short-term Retention.
Short-term Retention: A retention period of five years or less.
UC Records Retention Schedules: A universitywide document that lists and governs the retention period and the disposition of identified records that are common across the University of California (UC) system.
University Archivist: The individual at each campus, appointed by the University Librarian, who is responsible for the preservation of campus administrative records that deal with the history of the university.
B. Identification of non-records
Non-records are defined as materials that are of immediate value only. Non-records may share some characteristics with administrative records; however, they are distinguished from administrative records by their transitory usefulness. Some examples of non-records are: envelopes, routing slips, data entry- and work-sheets, rough drafts, multiple copies of publications, blank forms, unofficial (“informational” or “courtesy”) copies of administrative records, and notes and audio recordings that have been transcribed.
Non-records are not managed under the university’s records management program; they should be disposed of once their period of immediate usefulness has passed. If non-records are not handled in accordance with their temporary nature, the unnecessary use of university resources may occur. If not disposed of, non-records may be subject to disclosure (e.g., under the California Public Records Act, Information Practices Act, or discovery of evidence in a legal proceeding).