Retention Guidelines for Offices and Departments

This section provides a retention schedule for the various records created in the daily operation of offices and departments.

To practice good record keeping, you are encouraged to use the guidelines reported below for the retention of documents in the various divisions, and the office of the President of Oberlin College. A pattern of consistency in the care of records will assist your office in many ways — especially in preventing the loss of records and in the saving of staff time. Information that is retained in hard copy or electronic files is the property of Oberlin College.

Following is a list of records found in most administrative offices and departments of Oberlin College. The suggested retention periods listed below are considered to be the normal or minimum time a record is retained. It is left to the discretion of the department head or administrative director as to how long records are retained beyond that time.

Record materials:

Description of Item	Normal Period of Retention	Referral (Destination)	Comments
Accounting Journals/General Ledgers	6 years	Archival Review
Accounts Payable/Receivable —amts. owed to College and receipt of revenues	4 years	Destroy
Bids Accepted (for purchases)	Active + 3 years	Archival Review	See also purchasing
Bids Rejected (for purchases)	3 years	Destroy	See also purchasing
Blueprints -- Copy usually on file in Construction Office	Active + 3 years	Archives
Budget Material: Office copies of documents prepared for the Budget, such as Budget Worksheets (requests), supplemental requests, and correspondence and information relative to budget adjustments. The Year-end statement (June 30) is recommended for retention and archival review. Controller's office holds primary record on the budget.	2 years after completion of current budget	Detail can be destroyed
Cash Receipts: Copies of cash receipts, cash reports, payable vouchers, data processing runs.	1 year	Destroy
Compliant Files	Active + 6 years	Destroy
Computer printouts and other data processing input/output (non-budget)	Active + 3 years	Destroy—if the material is retained on magnetic media.
Conferences and Workshops attended file	4 years	Destroy
Conferences and Workshops conducted file	5 years	Archives
Contracts, agreements	Active + 3 years	Archives	Incls: Documentation for
Correspondence	3 years	Archives
Employee Records. See Below, Personnel
Endowment Fund Annual Reports	Active + 4 years	Archives	Review for historical value
Environmental Monitoring Records	4 years	Destroy
General Ledgers	6 years	Archives	Review for historical value
Grants File (awarded)—applications and proposals, etc.	Submission of final report + 3 years	Archives
Grants File (unawarded)—applications and proposals, etc.	3 years	Destroy
Grievance Files	Active + 3 years	Destroy	Privacy Documentation
Injury Reports	Active + 6 years	Destroy
Inventory Control Record	Active + 6 years	Destroy
Job Descriptions—Human Resources holds copy.	Active + 6 years	Destroy
Maintenance: Requisitions and Delivery Reports for ofc equip., supplies, etc. Controller holds for 7 years.	2 years	Destroy
Minutes: Of staff meetings, committees, or other groups functioning for the office	3 years	Archives
News Releases and Newsletters	Indefinite	Archives
Payroll: Attendance Record, Time Reports, Time Sheets, etc. Controller holds for 7 years.	2 years	Destroy
Personnel Records: Files kept on Department personnel for the convenience of the office, but not an official personnel file. Human Resources holds permanent record.	While useful, probably 5 years.	Notify Archivist for review.	Legal Retention is an issue
Petty Cash Records	4 years	Destroy
Photographs, recordings, programs, etc., prepared in the course of office social functions or official activities.	While useful, probably 5 years.	Archives
Planning documents (e.g. Self-Study, Advancement Plan, Five-Year and Ten-Year Plans)	While useful	Archives	Save supporting documentation
Policies, Procedures, Regulations: Official, that concern office operations (e.g. handbooks, manuals, etc.)	3 years after expiration	Archives	Review for Continuing Admin. of Historical value
Program Reviews	Until next review	Archives	Save supporting documentation
Publications, Catalogues, Bulletins, Brochures, Books, Periodicals, Newsletters - any official publication of the College	While useful—Two copies of all publications are to be sent to the Archives at the time of first issue.	Archives
Purchase Orders—Purchasing Office's copy of order to a supplier.	Active + 3 years	Destroy
Records Destruction Files	10 years	Destroy
Reports: Annual Reports, or reports prepared on department activities	3 years	Archives
Residential Life Files	5 years after graduation	Destroy	Ref. FERPA Guidelines
Search Files	5 years	Destroy, except summary	Ref. Section D. #1 & 2, pg.13 Affirmative Action
Student Advisee Files	1 year after graduation	Destroy	Ref. FERPA Guidelines
Student Files (student academic file)	2 years after graduation	Destroy	Ref. FERPA Guidelines
Subject Files	Active + 6 years	Archival Review
Telegraph and Telephone: Billing and payment records (including those in special grants), record of long distance calls, etc.	3 years	Destroy
Time Cards	3 years	Destroy
Training/Development Records	Active + 3 years	Archival Review
Vouchers	4 years	Destroy
Work Orders File	1 year after completion of work	Destroy, unless significant space improvement
Work Study Student Files	Active + 5 years	Destroy

Non-record Materials

The following specific types of materials are designated as nonrecord materials and may be disposed of by offices as soon as they have served their intended purpose.

1. Extra copies of documents retained only for convenience of reference, such as "information" or "follow up" copies of correspondence; extra copies of materials of which official copies have been retained within the agency for purpose of record. Duplicates need to be weeded on an annualized basis.

2. Stocks of superseded, outdated, or otherwise valueless publications, forms and printed documents. (Two copies of each publication should be filed with the Archives at the first issue.)

3. Preliminary drafts of letters, memoranda, reports, worksheets and internal notes which do not represent significant basic steps in the preparation of record documents.

4. Letters of transmittal which do not add any information to the transmitted material and other types of routine correspondence that do not show any significant activity of the administrative unit or department.

5. Shorthand notes, rough notes, and mechanical recordings that have been transcribed into typewritten or printed form.

6. Miscellaneous notices or memoranda which do not relate to the functional responsibility of the office; i.e., notices of community affairs, employee meetings, holidays, etc.

7. Automatic Data Processing Recording Media: punched cards, paper tapes, magnetic tapes, magnetic discs, and other media used for "communicating" with data processing equipment.

8. Microfilm that has been created for systems applications when original documents are retained or prints created for record purposes.
9. Offset plates, multilith masters, ditto masters, addressograph plates, stencils, photographic negatives or other media used for printing or other reproductive processes.