Getting Started with Records Clean Up

Intended Audience: Faculty and Staff

Summary

Records management may feel overwhelming at first, but it becomes manageable when broken into clear steps. It is an ongoing process that requires regular attention—records must be inventoried, classified, and organized according to the PVAMU Record Retention Schedule. A Records Clean Up Day gives departments the dedicated time and focus needed to monitor records, prepare for retention and destruction, and strengthen filing systems.

Problem

Departments often accumulate outdated, duplicate, or misfiled records, leading to clutter, inefficiency, and compliance risks. Without structured processes like records inventories and clean-up days, retention schedules can be overlooked and accountability gaps can occur.

Solution

By combining Records Management basics with an annual Records Clean Up Day, departments can:

• Identify and classify records according to the official retention schedule.

• File documents accurately by record series, ensuring nothing is misplaced.

• Prepare for destruction by documenting records nearing the end of their retention period.

• Communicate across offices to ensure proper ownership and accountability of records.

• Improve long-term efficiency and compliance with PVAMU and State guidelines.

By conducting this review annually, departments reduce risk and maintain compliance.

Steps

The following steps will guide you through managing records and conducting a Clean Up Day. These steps are important because they help you establish accountability, avoid compliance issues, and ensure your office’s records are easy to locate, store, and eventually dispose of properly.

1. Obtain the Retention Schedule

   • Get a copy of the PVAMU Record Retention Schedule.

   • Use it as your main reference for identifying, filing, and retaining records.

2. Inventory Your Records

   • Pull samples of documents in your office to understand what you have.

   • Classify each according to the retention schedule.

3. Identify Ownership and Retention Periods

   • Determine who owns or is responsible for each record.

   • Note retention periods for all identified records.

4. Organize Records by Series

   • File records that belong to the same series together.

   • Check your office to ensure no stray documents are floating around unfiled.

5. Address Copies and Non-Owned Records

   • If you find copies of records you do not own, do not simply discard them.

   • Contact the responsible department to confirm they have their originals.

   • If not, allow them to collect those records for compliance.

6. Review and Improve Procedures

   • Examine your office procedures for collecting and storing records.

   • Ensure practices align with compliance requirements and responsibilities.

7. Prepare for Destruction

   • Identify records nearing the end of their retention period.

   • Begin filling out the Records Destruction Form to simplify the process later.

8. Plan the Timing

   • Most retention periods end with the fiscal year on August 31.

   • Schedule your Clean Up Day in May or June for ample preparation time.

Understanding Records Retention

Record Retention refers to the time period that a document is kept or “retained,” whether in electronic or paper format. The time period varies for different types of documents and is defined in the Records Retention Schedule.

The schedule identifies and describes Prairie View A&M’s records and specifies the minimum length of time each type of record must be retained. The numbers on the retention schedule usually represent the number of years a record should be kept. If a federal or state statute or regulation specifies a longer retention period, that requirement overrides the schedule.

There are some instances when a record must be retained beyond its normal period. This applies if litigation, claims, negotiations, audits, open records requests, administrative reviews, or any other action is initiated before the expiration of the retention period. In these cases, the record must be kept until the action is fully resolved, or until the retention period expires—whichever is later.

PVAMU Records Retention Glossary

• AC – After Closed (terminated, completed, expired, or settled)

• AV – Administrative Value (the immediate purpose of the record has been fulfilled)

• CE – Calendar Year End (December 31)

• FE – Fiscal Year End (August 31)

• LA – Life of Asset (retained until disposal of the asset)

• PM – Permanent (records with enduring legal, fiscal, or administrative value)

• US – Until Superseded (retained until replaced by an updated version)

What to Archive

Here are a few of the types of materials or documents that can be considered to be archived. For those items that are not designated on the State Record Retention Schedule, you should contact the University Archivist to have them review the items and then make a determination on it’s historical value.Items to be considered should always be materials or documents that their content has substantive and significant historical value to the university and activities of the department or office that created the content or performed the activity. Here are a few examples of items that can be considered for archiving:

• Constitutions and by-laws
• Planning documents
• Accreditation records
• Policy and mission statements
• Publications
• Promotional and outreach materials
• Event records
• Research records
• Press releases
• Photographs
• Videos and audio recordings

For further clarification and information on what materials or documents should be archived, please contact the University Archivist, Phyllis Earles via phone at 936-261-1516 or via email at plearles@pvamu.edu.

Additional Resources

• Records Retention Schedule – PVAMU/TAMUS

• Records Destruction Form

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Prairie View A&M University is dedicated to improving the way we serve students, faculty, and staff. If you have suggestions on how we can make this article clearer, more helpful, or easier to follow, we welcome your comments. Your feedback helps us enhance our Knowledge Base and provide better support to the Panther community.