General Records Management

What is Records Management?
Records management as defined by the Virginia Public Records Act is ". . .The application of efficient and economical methods for managing the lifecycle of public records consistent with regulations and guidelines promulgated by the State Library Board . . ." (Code of Virginia §42.1-85.A).The lifecycle of a record includes its creation, use, storage and final disposition. 

How long should we keep records?
Records are required to be retained for the time period listed in the Library of Virginia’s Records Retention and Disposition Schedules. You should check the listing of records in the schedules and review the retention instructions. If the type of record is not listed in the schedule, contact the University Records Manager (rsdavis@vcu.edu or 8-2103) for advice on identifying the records under review.

What is a records retention and disposition schedule?
A listing of record series (types of records) held by many or most commonwealth offices instructing the office how long to keep the records in accordance with the Virginia Public Records Act.  The General Schedules most commonly used at VCU are:

GS-111: College and University Records

GS-101: Administrative Records

GS-102: Fiscal Records

GS-103: Personnel Records

What if the records I have are not listed in an approved records schedule?
Some records are unique to the university or office. If you cannot locate a records series (type of records) in the Library of Virginia approved Records Retention and Disposition Schedules, please contact the University Records Manager (rsdavis@vcu.edu or 8-2103) for assistance. Please provide information about the records, including the name/type, use, if your office is the official keeper of this record or if another office holds the official. The Records Manager will either direct you to the correct records series for the records under question or assist in creating a new records series and obtaining the approval of the Library of Virginia for use.

What is a records series?
A records series is a group of related records (in any format) held by an organization. A records series usually includes multiple documents or forms that have a relationship and should be retain for a similar length of time.