| University records are public records and may not
be destroyed, microfilmed or transferred to the University
Archives and Records Center without an official retention
period approved by the State Records Committee. The
committee is composed of the State Archivist, and representatives
of the State Auditor, State Attorney General, and Office
of Financial Management.
As defined: "public records" shall include
any paper, correspondence, completed form, bound
record book, photograph, film, sound recording, map
drawing, machine-readable material, compact disc
meeting current industry ISO specifications, or other
document, regardless of physical form or characteristics
and including such copies thereof, that have been
made by or received by any agency of the State of
Washington in connection with the transaction of
public business. (RCW 40.14)
No employee has, by virtue of his/her position,
any personal or property right to official records
even though he/she may have helped develop or compile
them. The unlawful destruction, removal from files,
and personal use of official records is prohibited.
In managing such documentation, it is the general
policy of the University to:
- Create only the records
it needs.
- Retain records according to established
Records Retention Schedules.
- Maintain active and
inactive records in appropriate storage equipment
and locations.
- Preserve records of historical significance.
- Identify
and protect vital records.
- Discard records no longer
required.
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| The goal of Western's Records Management Program
is to fulfill legal requirements by bringing each academic
and administrative unit of the University into basic
compliance with the law. Records can be effectively
managed throughout their life cycle (creation, maintenance
and use, and disposition). Records management techniques
include managing files, determining retention standards,
furnishing inexpensive storage, and disposing of records
or transferring records to an archives. |
- Meet legal, fiscal, administrative and historical
requirements by managing records throughout their
life cycle.
- Furnish inexpensive storage space for inactive
records.
- Provide efficient reference service for
inactive records.
- Obtain authorization for timely
disposition of records.
- Assist in establishing
and maintaining sound file management practices.
- Minimize acquisition of new filing equipment and
save campus office storage space.
- Identify, preserve
and make available archival records.
Life Cycle of Records
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| The Records Management Program at Western Washington
University is based on the legal requirements of RCW
40.14, the state statute governing the preservation
and disposition of public records; RCW 42.17, public
disclosure legislation; and RCW 40.10, which provides
for protection of essential records to provide continuity
of civil government. |
| Access to public records is governed by several laws,
both state and federal. While the intent of these laws
is to provide full access to governmental records,
certain personal and other records are exempt from
public inspection and copying (RCW 42.17.310). In accord
with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974 (PL 93-380) and other legislation, rules and
procedures have been established to ensure that such
information is not released to unauthorized individuals
and is handled in a responsible manner by the University
and its employees. |
| Each university office and department has primary
responsibility for the proper and legal management
of the records in its custody. That office is known
as the office of record. Program directors, department
heads, deans and other management staff are responsible
for ensuring compliance with state law and university
policy for the management of university records. Day-to-day
responsibility may be delegated to designated records
coordinators.
University Records Officer
The University Records Officer serves as public
disclosure officer to the University and supervises
the campus Records Management Program. The Officer
gives signatory approval to Records Retention Schedules
before forwarding to the State Records Committee
for approval.
Records Manager
The Records Manager is responsible for coordination
and implementation of the University Records Management
Program and Archives & Records Center services.
The Records Manager provides procedural orientation
to administrative and academic units and assists
Records Coordinators in all phases of records inventory,
scheduling and yearly updating of office records
schedules. In consultation with office Records Coordinators
and appropriate University and government officials,
the Analyst makes recommendations for records retention,
based on administrative need and the satisfaction
of legal, fiscal, and historical needs of the University
and the state.
Records Coordinators
The office Records Coordinator is responsible for
the physical inventory of all office records holdings,
analysis and evaluation to identify series titles
and functions, and assessment of administrative need
for office retention, Records Center retention, and
total retention of office records holdings. The Records
Coordinator acts as a liaison with the Records Manager
to effect all phases of the program including annual
updating, retrieval and disposition.
Designation of Records Coordinator
The department head designates one staff member
as the office "Records Coordinator." It
is important that the person be chosen for his/her
understanding of the function of the office and familiarity
with the files and records.
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The Records Coordinator is responsible for coordinating
the department's program for records inventory, retention,
storage, retrieval, and destruction. In particular,
these functions are as follows:
- Act as a liaison with the University Archives & Records
Center.
- Conduct records inventory and forward forms to
the University Archives & Records Center.
- Receive and file State Records Committee "Approved" Records
Retention Schedule.
- Advise University Archives & Records Center
of changes in records retention needs. Review
office Records Retention Schedule annually.
- Apply State-authorized retention standards for
the appropriate transfer to storage, microfilming,
and/or
destruction of records according to the Records
Retention Schedule. Supervise disposition of departmental
records.
- Prepare records for storage at Records Center
when appropriate.
- Receive, file, and update inventories of records
in storage and notices of destruction for records
in storage at the University Archives & Records
Center.
- Act as liaison with the Records Center to coordinate
retrieval and refiling of records from storage.
- Identify and prepare for transfer to Records
Center all confidential records requiring shredding.
- Identify and prepare for transfer to the University
Archives and Records Center all records requiring
retention for historical purposes.
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