Records Management Procedures – How to Destroy from the Records Center

1. At various intervals during the year, departments may receive notification from the University Archives via the memorandum Intent to Destroy University Records that certain of their stored records have become eligible for destruction.
2. The department must approve, sign, and return the notification before destruction can take place. In the event the department does not approve, justification for extending the Records Center storage period must be forwarded to the Archives. If the notification is approved, the department records management contact should immediately pull department copies of all applicable container lists and place them in an “inactive” file for future reference.
3. Upon receipt of the signed “Intent to Destroy” memorandum, the records are processed for destruction by the Archives staff.
4. Stored records that are authorized for destruction from storage are machine-shredded by a contractor who provides official destruction certification. Destruction costs are not charged to the department.
5. Following destruction, the Archives staff will remove applicable container lists from the active file, attach the destruction memo, and place in an inactive file. Destruction documentation is retained in the Archives.