Records Retention and Disposition Schedule - 12-15-2015

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public records,and are marked as exceptions in the"Citation"column. For these series,the disposition instructions are only recommendations,and are not binding. Unless otherwise specified,official records which are not public records are also exempt from the public inspection requirements outlined by G.S. §132-6. ELECTRONIC RECORDS. Electronic records are becoming an increasingly important part of government work. Word processing on desktop computers means that most office workers are directly responsible for the creation, distribution,and filing of records. Database management systems are used to streamline services. Electronic mail and the World Wide Web are used to keep communication and publishing costs down. G.S§132-1(a)defines"`Public record'or`public records'shall mean all. . .documentary material,regardless ofphysical form or characteristics." Electronic records are subject to the same public access,personal privacy,audit,and authenticity requirements as the paper records that preceded them. Custodians are still responsible for the accuracy,completeness, authenticity,security,retention,and preservation of their records. The Division has published the North Carolina Guidelines for Managing Public Records Produced by Information Technology Systems,which discusses these issues at greater length. Copies can be obtained from our Web site. ELECTRONIC MAIL. E-mail systems create records that must be identified,categorized,and appraised for specific values.Under North Carolina's Public Records Act(chapter 132 of the General Statutes of North Carolina),the e-mail content is subject to the same access and inspection conditions as other records,unless exempted from access by another statute.Privacy considerations,records retention scheduling requirements,and other laws and regulations also apply to e-mail content. Agencies and local governments retain e-mail messages to satisfy agency needs,record-keeping requirements and to comply with the law.Retention and record-keeping responsibilities often are delegated to individual users (senders/receivers). Government employees face this challenge of managing e-mail,particularly those who make it an important part of their work. The Division has published E-Mail as a Public Record in North Carolina:Guidelines for its Retention and Disposition,which is available from our Web site. INDEXING ELECTRONIC RECORDS. G.S§132-6 requires that all public databases be indexed. To assist local government agencies in this process,the division has published Public Database Indexing Guidelines and Recommendations. Copies can be obtained from our Web site. CHANGING THE SCHEDULE. You may request an addition,deletion,or change in a retention period by completing and sending a"Request for Change in Records Schedule"(see page 36)to the Division of Historical Resources. See the instructions on the form for more information. EARLY DISPOSAL OR DISPOSAL OF UNSCHEDULED RECORDS. Custodians desiring to dispose of records earlier than specified in this schedule,or to dispose of records not listed in the schedule,may use the form "Request and Approval of Unscheduled Records Disposal"(see page 37)to obtain the concurrence of the Department of Cultural Resources. Permission must also be obtained from the agencies governing board,and recorded in its minutes. HISTORICAL VALUE. Before preparing to dispose of certain records,their potential historical research value should be considered. Selected records might have enduring value because they document the origin,organization, development and functions of an agency. Likewise,some records have enduring value as sources of information on persons,places,subjects,events and transactions. These records provide evidence of the interactions between citizens and local government agencies. Several record series which may have such value are identified in this schedule and assistance in determining historical or archival value is available upon request. PERMANENT RECORDS. Records scheduled for permanent preservation,even after being microfilmed,may not be destroyed without specific written permission of the Department of Cultural Resources. PROTECTING PUBLIC RECORDS. Public records are public property. They should remain in the care of the governmental agency in which they were created or collected in the course of public business. Public records should be disposed of only when,and as specified,in this records schedule. iii