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Berea College Records Management Guide: Guide

Records Management- n. ~ Techniques that ensure that recorded information, regardless of format, is properly distributed, used, stored, retrieved, protected, and preserved according to established policies and procedures.

Berea College Records Management

In addition to collecting the archival records of Berea College, Special Collections and Archives (SC&A) offers assistance and advice on the management of records and the transfer of permanent records to the Archives. Contact archive staff for help in caring for records through all stages of the records lifecycle—from creation to archiving or destruction.
Services provided by Berea College's Special Collections and Archives include:
  • Archiving records of permanent value of Berea College and its departments
  • Instruction on keeping and destroying records
  • Advice on maintaining compliance with the College's records retention policies
  • Guidance and help in transferring records to the SC&A

What records should be sent to the Archives?

Records Management ensures that the College's institutional records of vital historical, fiscal, and legal value are identified and preserved, and that non-essential records are discarded in a timely manner according to established guidelines and identified legislation.
Thus, only materials designated as Permanent Records - because of their long-term informational or historical value - are collected by the Archives.  The Berea College Retention Schedule (see below) outlines which records are permanent by designating their final destination as the Archives.
Additional information regarding transferring records to SCA:
  • Only the office of origin (office creating a record) needs to transfer a record to SCA.  For example, only the Office of the Registrar needs to transfer the The Schedule of Classes as it is the creator of that record.   Additional departments who have received copies of The Schedule of Classes do not need to transfer the record to the Archives.
  • Send 2 copies of records (such as major reports, event programs and posters, etc.) published or produced by your department to SC&A. For example, send two copies of a program (such as a Convocation program) to the Archives.
  • Any records containing personal information that (1) can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity (such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, or biometric records) or (2) any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual (such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information) must be marked RESTRICTED.  For example, materials recording student names and course grades must be marked RESTRICTED.

Transferring Materials to the Archives

To transfer records to SCA:
  1. Utilizing the Berea College Retention Schedule (above), determine if records are considered Permanent Records and thus transferable to SCA.  Box all permanent records for transfer; number boxes.
  2. Complete the Permanent Records Transfer Form (below);
  3. Attach a copy of the Transfer Form to the box(es), envelope(s), or material(s) to be transferred;
  4. Contact Lori Myers-Steele (see contact information below) to coordinate delivery/pickup of materials.
♦You can use the Inventory Worksheet (below) to help organize the transference of records to SC&A.

FAQs

Q. What can be considered correspondence?
A. Letters, postcards, memoranda, notes, e-mail, and any other form of written communication, sent and received.
Q. Who should I contact if I have specific questions about records management or transferring records to the archives?
A. Contact Lori Myers-Steele myerssteelel@berea.edu or Ext. 3253 if you have questions or concerns.
Q. What should I do about electronic records? 
A. You can transfer media (including hard drives and flash drives) containing electronic records to SC&A.  If the quantity of electronic records is small, you can also consider sending printed copies of the records. Contact Lori Myers-Steele for more information.  Additionally, our Sound Archivist, Harry Rice, can be contacted regarding audio-visual materials.
Q. What about e-mails?
A. If the e-mail correspondence is of the type that would be deemed Permanent by the Retention Schedule, then the e-mail should be printed off (or saved as a PDF) and transferred to the Archives.  For example, e-mails directly influencing the administrative work of a standing committee should be kept; likewise, personal emails do not need to be kept.
Q. Should I include a list of the specific records in each box that I transfer to the Archives?
A. It can be very helpful to both the archivist (who processes your records) and you (if you ever need to access the records before they are fully processed) to have a list identifying the records contained in each box that is transferred to the Archives.
Q. What do I do if I need a large number of records to be shredded/destroyed?
A. SC&A and other offices on campus utilize a mobile shredding service on a routine basis.  Contact us for more information.

Contact Information

For assistance, please contact:
Lori Myers-Steele

myerssteelel@berea.edu

859-985-3253

Or request a consultation through this link