Operating Policy and Procedure
HSC OP: 10.09, Records Retention
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Health Sciences Center Operating Policy and Procedure (HSC OP) is to define the steps involved in the legal destruction of records which have ceased to have sufficient value to warrant retention.
REVIEW: This HSC OP will be reviewed on May 1 every four years (E4Y) by the TTUHSC Executive Director of Libraries, with recommendations for revisions forwarded to the President by May 15.
POLICY/PROCEDURE:
1. Annually, an appointed individual of each department should review records on hand to determine whether departmental documents should be retained or destroyed.
2. The department should comply with the TTUHSC Records Retention Schedule (Attachment A) prepared by TTUHSC and approved by the State and Local Records Management Division of the Texas State Library. The retention times apply to the record copy, as provided by Chapter 441, Texas Government Code. These include paper, micro-media, electronic records, or other material that is involved in the transaction of official state business. The convenience copy should not be kept any longer than necessary.
3. Record copy refers to the one original or “master” version of a document. Convenience copy refers to all duplicate copies of a document. Convenience copies can be disposed of at any time and should not be kept longer than the record copy’s retention time.
4. The retention time of a record applies regardless of the record’s format, be it electronic, micro-media, or paper.
5. All records de-accessioned, disposed of, or destroyed shall be listed on a records disposition log. The department should retain a copy of this disposition log for the appropriate time as listed on the university’s records retention schedule. Currently, this is 10 years.
6. Once a record’s retention time has expired and it is no longer needed, the record should be disposed of in the appropriate manner. Records with no personal or confidential information can be recycled or thrown away. Records containing personal or confidential information, such as social security numbers and grades, should be shredded.
7. The assigned individual responsible for destroying the records should observe the destruction process to completion.
8. Records listed on TTUHSC’s records retention schedule as “archival” have potential historical value and should be transferred to the TTUHSC Library Archives for review. The Executive Director of Libraries will make the final decision on whether to keep or dispose of the record.