Storage Guidelines

The Records Management Department assists offices in determining which records must be retained for fiscal, administrative or legal reasons, and for how long. It will facilitate your off-site storage needs as well, including supplying boxes and bar-coded labels.

Below are some guidelines to help you in determining the disposition of your records. This is only a guide. Please call the Records Manager (x2018) or the University Archivist (x6734) for more assistance.

Please refer to the Human Resources Policy Manual, Policy Number 1029, for more information.

Examples of records that can be sent to off-site storage include:

  • Those with administrative and/or legal value (e.g. contracts, insurance documents)
  • Those with fiscal value (e.g. accounts payable/receivable, financial aid, purchase orders, and budget records)
  • Personnel records (e.g. contracts and agreements, payroll, tax, benefit plans, and compliance records)
  • Student records (e.g. departmental files not older than six years [graduation year + 6 years]). Note that registrar's student records are to be retained permanently.

Examples of material that should not be sent off-site (non-records):

  • Photocopies or carbon copies (non-originals)
  • Blank forms

Retention and Disposition Schedule – DRAFT