S Records Retention and Dispositon Schedule

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ELECTRONIC RECORDS AND DIGITAL IMAGING Q. when ca.~ r C~e.~ete xny emax~C? .A.. Electronic mail is just as much a record as any traditional paper record, and must be treated in the same ways. It is the content of each message that is important. if a particular message would have been filed as a paper memo, it should still be filed either in your email program ox in pour regular directory structure, and it should be :retained the same length of time as its paper counterparts. Zt is inappropriate to destroy email simply because storage limits have been reached. '1'laree of our publications will be particularly helpful available online at h ww~w ah.dcr.state.nc.us records ~: ~ ~ Fail as a Public Aecard in .N~arth Carolina: Guideli~re r far itr .A.e~e~a~iatr acrd Di.~o~i~io~a ~ .F email User Guidelines Checklist • .I1~arth Carolina Public Aecards with Short Term Value: Guideli~ses far their Ke~e~rtia~r acrd ~i.~a~itiarr p. ~e .have an ~magxng system. Do we .have to .keep the paper? .~.. You may scan any record, including permanent records. Your office should follow the instructions in the .21Tarth Carolina Cuidelittes far.N.~a~ra~in~ Public .Regards Produced by Information ~"echrrala~y Systems to conduct the Self D~a~anty process, develop an Electronic Records Policy, and complete a copy of the Request to Destroy Records Duplicated by Electronic Mears, ~ocated at the end of this schedule. Then submit all three to us. Permanent records must have a preservation copy as defined by G.S. X132-$.2: , Preservation duplicates shall be durable, accurate, complete and clear, and such duplicates made by a photographic, photo static, microfilm, micro card, miniature photographic, or other process which accurately reproduces and forms a durable medium for so reproducing the original shall have the same force and effect for all purposes as the original record whether the original record is in existence ox not.... Such preservation duplicates shall be preserved in the place and manner of safekeeping prescribed by the Department of Cultural Resources. The preservation duplicate of permanent records must be either on paper or microfilm. Nan-permanent records maybe retained in any format. You will, have to take precautions with records that you must keep more than about 14 years. Computer systems do not have Tong life cycles. Each tune you change computer systems, you ~ have to convert all records to the new system so that you can assure their preservation and provide access. Your off ce will. still be required to conduct the Self Warranty process, establish an Electronic Records 'olicy, and submit the Request to ~]estroy Records Dupieated by Electrorue N.eans force. for our approval. , Q. Do .~ .have to print my ema.~.~ to ~fIe ~t? ~. .~s long as the email is not a permanent record, as defm.ed by the schedule, you may elect to keep it in electronic format. (~. Computer storage is cheap. .~'~~ just keep .rny computer records. .A.. The best practice is to destroy all records that have met their retention requirements at the same 11.me, regardless of format. Q. .~ use roy persona. ema~I account for work. ~o one can see my persona. e.m a ~.~. ~4. The best practice is to avoid using personal resources, including private ern.ail accounts, for public business.. G.S. §1321 states that records "made ox received pursuant to law or ordinance in cannectiotr with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina goverment or its subdivisions" are public records emphasis added. The fact that public records reside in a personal email account is irrelevant. vu