Records can generally be said to serve five purposes:
- As a means to accomplish the functions of the office creating or using them;
- As evidence of transactions involving the University;
- As a part of the compliance process mandated by statute or professional practice;
- As a reference to prior decision making and a guide for future decisions;
- And as a historical resource for persons researching the activities and relationships of the University.
Records schedules are created as a joint effort between office personnel and analysts from the Records Management Office. Together, the office's functions and workflow are determined, and its information holdings analyzed. Traditionally, the analytic framework has been expressed in terms of records values:
Administrative/Operational
Do the functions supported by these records
- document the authority or obligations of the office or of the University generally?
- support the day-to-day operations of the office to fulfill its functions?
- support official actions of the office?
- document the making of official policy?
- document the fulfillment of institutional responsibilities?
- support or execute programs?
Legal
Do the functions supported by these records
- secure the rights of the University, or obligate the University?
- require evidence of fulfillment of statute or regulation?
- require evidence of good faith or compliance with good business practices?
- result in the creation, use or destruction of negotiable instruments?
- Is the creation, maintenance or destruction of these records mandated by statute or regulation?
Fiscal
- Do these records document the receipt, management or expenditure of University funds?
- Does the function supported by these records require evidence compliance with established accounting practices?
Historical
Do these records document the development of the University as an institution and its
- teaching and research role?
- the lives of the students at Harvard?
- the role of Harvard as a research institution?
- the development of teaching and academic inquiry generally?
- the relationship of Harvard and the community?
Retentions for administrative, legal and fiscal values are based upon the length of time the records are needed to carry out these functions. A small number of records will have enduring administrative or legal value or historical value. These records, identified in the schedules, should be transferred to the appropriate Harvard archives. Although these records remain the property of the University, the archives accept custodianship and the full responsibility for preserving and making the records available.
The vast majority of records have only finite value though, and, once they cease to be of use to the creating or maintaining office, are of no value anywhere else and should be destroyed. While there are a number of benefits that accrue to offices from the destruction of records the single reason and only acceptable rationale for destruction is very simply that they are not needed.
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Important Note:
University records may not be destroyed or otherwise disposed of without the authority of the General Records Schedule or a Special Records Schedule approved by the Harvard University Archives. |
