Records Management Procedures – Authority for Records Management Program

The Records Management Program at the University of Delaware is a function of the University Archives department. Authority for the program originated with a 1969 resolution of the Board of Trustees:

Resolved, that the President of the University be and hereby is authorized to establish the University Archives, to institute such policies and procedures as are necessary for the orderly collection of appropriate archival materials, and to appoint a University Archivist to direct and administer the Archives.

The University Archivist developed the Records Management Program, which includes records retention schedules for each University department as part of a full-service archives and records management program. As a result, the University enjoys the following benefits:

1. Records of enduring value are identified and safeguarded for permanent retention.
2. Records vital for the continuance of the institution, should there be a disaster, are identified and protected.
3. Record owners are identified and retention periods for records they create are established.
4. Records no longer required for conducting the daily business of the University are routinely destroyed.
5. Well–trained and knowledgeable archival and records management staff are available to recommend methods and technologies for improved information handling.