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DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC RECORDS <br />Q. L~hen can I destroy records? <br />.~.. Each xecoxds series listed on this schedule has specific disposition instructions that indicate how long that <br />series must be kept in your offices. ~n som:e cases, the disposition instructions are "Retain in office <br />pearmanently," which weans that those xecoxds must be kept in yaux offices forever. See also the question <br />below, ".l~'ow shar.~d .~ deal< with rnypetmanent records~'~ <br />Q. How do I destroy records? <br />~.. After your county has approved this xecoxds retention and disposition schedule, xecoxds should be destroyed in <br />one of the following ways: <br />burned, unless prohibited by local ordinance; <br />shredded, ox tons. up so as to destroy the record content of the documents ox material concerned; <br />placed in aad vats so as .to reduce the paper to pulp and to texrnix~.ate the existence of the documents ox <br />materials concerned; <br />buried under such conditions that the record nature of the documents ox materials will. be terminated; <br />sold as waste paper, provided that the purchaser agrees in writing that the documents ox materials <br />concerned ~ not be resold as documents ox records. <br />N~.C. Administrative Code, Title 7, Chapter 4, Subchapter NI, Section .451D <br />Confidential. records should be destroyed :~. a secure mannex so that the information contained in them cannot <br />be used. <br />Q. mow can .~ destroy records if they axe not Misted on this schedu.~e? <br />.A.. Contact the Recvxds Management Analyst assigned to your cau~.ty. Your analyst will discuss the nature of the <br />xecoxds with you to determine if the xecoxds have historical value. xf the xecoxds do have historical value, we <br />will discuss the possibility of transferring the xecoxds to the State Archives to be preserved permanently. <br />If the xecoxds do not have historical value, we will ask you to complete a Request and Approval of <br />Unscheduled Records Disposal ~.ocated at the end of this schedule if the xecoxds axe not currently created. <br />if the xecoxds axe an active xecoxds series, your analyst will. help you develop an amendment to this schedule so <br />that you can continue to destroy the xecoxds appropriately. <br />C~. .~ .have so.o~e o.~d records that aren't on this sc~edu.~e, but that we don't <br />use any amore. Tow can .~ get them destroyed? <br />.r~.. At the end of this schedule is a form. called the Request and Approval of Unscheduled Records Disposal. <br />Complete that form and submit it to us. we will get in touch with you, and make a determination about that <br />destruction. <br />Q. .Do I have to tell anyone about tie destruction? <br />~. we recommend that you xepoxt on your xecoxds retention activities to your Board of Co:mmissionexs on an <br />annual basis. This report does not need to be detailed, but it is;im~ortant that significant destructions be <br />entered into the minutes of the Board. <br />Q. Computer storage is cheap. I~'~1~1 dust .deep my computer records. <br />A.. The best practice is to destroy all xecoxds that have met their retention requirements at the same time, <br />regardless of format. <br />Q. Can ~ give my old records to the ~historica.~ society or public .library? <br />A. Before you offer any record to a historical society, public library, ox any other entity, you must contact the <br />Records N.~anage~nent Analyst assigned to your county. Permanent xecoxds :must be kept either in your offices <br />ax at the State Archives. <br />Vl <br />