Frequently Asked Questions

Records are information recorded in any medium created or received by or on behalf of a state agency, such as the University of Texas at Tyler, and its employees.  They assist with documenting activities in the conduct of state business or use of public records. (Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC))

Records management is the administration of a record during its entire life cycle. The life cycle of a record begins when it is created and ends at its final disposition.

Records disposition is the destruction of the record or the transfer of the record to the University Archives and Special Collections.

All departments and their employees have a responsibility to understand, manage, preserve, and protect all records that are under their control.

Records Management frees up physical storage space as well as digital server space and allows departments to dispose of unneeded records.  Proper records management reduces the volume of records that must be searched when responding to audits, requests for public information, subpoenas, and other administrative requirements. It also ensures compliance with federal and state records management laws, policies, and rules.

Extra copies or duplicate copies (referred to as convenience copies) maintained only for ease of reference, a stock of publications or blank forms, catalogs or trade journals are not considered official state records.

No, records that are still within their retention period must be kept in their department of origin for ease of access. Only after a record's retention period has been met or is exceeded can records be disposed of in accordance with the policies and procedures set out in this website.

Email should be regarded as a format of a record and categorized by its content. Just as written correspondence is classified as general, administrative, or transitory, depending on the content of the correspondence, email generally falls into one of these three categories. Email may be retained as an electronic file or printed and managed in a hard copy or both.

As defined by exas State Library and Archives Commission's Retention Schedules for Texas State Agencies and Public Universities, transitory information includes:

Records of temporary usefulness that are:

• Not an integral part of a records series of an agency
• Not essential to the fulfillment of statutory obligations or to the documentation of agency function
• Not regularly filed within an agency's record keeping system
• Required only for a limited period of time for the completion of an action by an official or employee of the agency or in the preparation of an ongoing records series

Examples of transitory information, which can be in any medium (voice mail, fax, email, hard copy, etc.) are routine messages; internal meeting notices; routing slips; incoming letters or memoranda of transmittal that add nothing of substance to enclosures; and similar routine information used for communication, but not for the documentation, of a specific agency transaction.

A department with records they deem ready for disposition will need to fill out a Records Disposition Log.  This form, or a link to it, may be provided by the University Archivist / Records Manager.

As directed by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the records disposition log is a form that state agencies such as the University of Texas at Tyler are required to create and keep (13 Texas Administrative Code §6.8(3)).  A disposition log describes the records to be destroyed or transferred to the University Archives and must be signed by departmental authority prior to disposition approval being given by the University Archivist / Records Manager.

Yes, a copy of the completed and approved disposition log must be retained by the authorizing department and the University Archives and Special Collections.  Copies will also be provided to the Dean of Libraries / Records Management Officer.

For more information about the importance of creating and keeping disposition logs, please visit FAQ: Why Use a Disposition Log? | The Texas Record, a blog post published by the State and Local Records Management Staff of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

As of Summer 2026, the university no longer contracts with a certified vendor to facilitate campus-wide Shred Days hosted on the main campus at the Physical Plant.

At their own expense, departments may shred their records utilizing departmental shredders or by contracting with a certified vendor.  However, all departments and their employees are still required to complete a Records Disposition Log prior to any shredding being approved by their Department Head / Dean and the University Archivist / Records Manager.

When used with the Retention Period, Retention Codes represent the minimum retention length that records must be kept in holding or custody of their originating department.

• CE: "Calendar Year End" (end date of 12/31/20xx)
  • CE+1 means Calendar Year End plus 1 year
• FE: "Fiscal Year End" (end date of 8/31/20xx)
  • FE+3 means Fiscal Year End plus 3 years
• LA: "Life of Asset"
  • LA+11 means Life of Asset plus 11 years
• PM: "Permanent"
  • PM with Archival Code I means preserve permanently in the University Archives
• US: "Until Superseded" (replaced by an updated version)
  • US+5 means Until Superseded plus 5 years
• AV: as long as "Administratively Valuable"
  • Records kept until purpose has been fulfilled and the need for it has been satisfied
• AC: "After Closed"
  • AC+2 means After Closed plus 2 years
  • AC Definition should always be provided in the Schedule as it changes depending on the record described. It may mean after the project is complete, after the employee is terminated, after completion of audit, etc. AC could fall at any time throughout the year, whereas FE and CE refer to the end dates listed above.

Archival Codes are used to note if a record, having met its retention period, needs consideration from the University Archivist. 

• I: means records must be transferred to the University Archivist for inclusion within the University Archives
• O: means records must be reviewed by the University Archivist to determine archival value

These reviews are done on a series by series, case by case, basis and may result in records either being transferred to the University Archives or disposed of if found lacking in archival, university, historic, or intrinsic value if not required to be kept per the Records Retention Schedule of UT Tyler.