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94 <br /> DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC RECORDS <br /> Q. When can I destroy records? <br /> A. Each records series listed on this schedule has specific disposition instructions that indicate how <br /> long the series must be kept in your office. In some cases,the disposition instructions are <br /> "Retain in office permanently," which means that those records must be kept in your offices <br /> forever. <br /> Q. How do I destroy records? <br /> A. After your agency has approved this records retention and disposition schedule, records should <br /> be destroyed in one of the following ways: <br /> 1) burned, unless prohibited by local ordinance; <br /> 2) shredded, or torn so as to destroy the record content of the documents or material <br /> concerned; <br /> 3) placed in acid vats so as to reduce the paper to pulp and to terminate the existence of the <br /> documents or materials concerned; <br /> 4) sold as waste paper, provided that the purchaser agrees in writing that the documents or <br /> materials concerned will not be resold without pulverizing or shredding the documents so <br /> that the information contained within cannot be practicably read or reconstructed. <br /> The provision that electronic records are to be destroyed means that the data, metadata, <br /> and physical media are to be overwritten, deleted, and unlinked so that the data and <br /> metadata may not be practicably reconstructed. <br /> The data, metadata, and physical media containing confidential records of any format are to <br /> be destroyed in such a manner that the information cannot be read or reconstructed under <br /> any means. <br /> — N.C.Administrative Code,Title 7, Chapter 4,Subchapter M,Section .0510 <br /> Without your agency's approval of this records schedule, no records may legally be destroyed. <br /> Q. How can I destroy records if they are not listed on this schedule? <br /> A. Contact a Records Management Analyst. An analyst will discuss the nature of the records with <br /> you to determine if the records have historical value. If the records do have historical value,we <br /> will discuss the possibility of transferring the records to the State Archives of North Carolina to <br /> be preserved permanently. <br /> If the records do not have historical value,we will ask you to complete a Request for Disposal <br /> for Unscheduled Records form if the records are no longer being created. If the records are an <br /> active records series,an analyst will help you develop an amendment to this schedule so that <br /> you can destroy the records appropriately from this point forward. <br /> A-8 <br />