Duties Related to Records Management
When someone needs
assistance with what records they can destroy and how long they need to keep
records, refer to the files in the gray metal file bin that is located on a
shelf in Lydia's office. The same
information is located on The Library of Virginia website which can be accessed
through the Longwood College Library homepage. Click on the staff information, go to
Lydia's page, and click on the hot link and this will take you directly to
information on Records Management.
You must consult the Schedules
in order to answer a question about destroying materials. The Schedules have information broken
down and divided by subject and type.
Different schedules address different types of records--Administrative,
College & University, Personnel, Mail Room, etc. The schedules also document the number
of years you need to keep records. Some records must be kept permanently.
Ask
the person needing assistance to provide you with the following
information:
a brief
description of the material to be destroyed.
the
inclusive years in which this material was created, for example -- Academic Year 1992 - Academic Year 1994.
number
of file drawers or boxes used to hold these materials.
whether
or not the records are housed in legal or letter size cabinets and/or boxes.
Once you receive
this information, match up their description of the records with the labels
provided in the schedules. Once you
have found the record in the Schedules, check to see what retention period has
been placed on this type of record.
In granting permission for records to be destroyed we must adhere to the
policies set by The Library of Virginia and the State of Virginia.
A
form must be filled out documenting what is to be destroyed. Hard copies are included in with the
other records management materials in the gray metal file bin on the shelf in
Lydia's office. The form is
also on disk, and it is located in the disk file box on Lydia's desk. The third method of acquiring a copy of
this form is at The Library of Virginia website.
Always offer to fill out the
form for the individual you are working with. Some people prefer that I fill out the
form and send it to them as an attachment.
This works well. They can
print off the form, sign it, and send it over to the Library after they have
destroyed the records. It is
imperative that they give you the information about what they plan to destroy
and that it be checked against the Schedules before any papers are
destroyed.
The
form is then signed by a Longwood Records Manager and mailed to the Archives and
Records Division of The Library of
Virginia.
Preaddressed mailing
envelopes can be located in the gray metal bin.
When revised schedules arrive from The
Library of Virginia, alert the College community via e-mail. This is a good time to remind everyone
about following the State regulations when cleaning out their office files.
At
the beginning of a new semester, make sure everyone is aware of the Records
Management policies and remind them that you are the contact person, should
questions arise. The most efficient
way of doing this is by sending out a campus-wide e-mail message.
At
the end of each month, I receive the printouts for materials that have been
cataloged and entered into the VTLS system. These printouts are sorted by the
following categories: General
(Library of Congress) , Reference (Library of Congress), Dewey Juvenile
Non-Fiction, Dewey Fiction, and by AV type (videotape, audiotape, compact disc,
laser CD-ROM, etc.)
Each category is recorded
separately. The general LC books
are the largest group so these numbers are recorded on sheets that are printed
from the computer. The sheets can
be printed from a disk located in the disk storage box on Lydia's desk.
Once the work sheets are
printed out and the printouts separated by category, the general statistics are
recorded first. The printouts come
to me in groups that are arranged according to the day they were cataloged and
subarranged in alphabetical order according to the first line of the call number
which is composed of one or two letters of the alphabet. The printouts are also
arranged by category with the general materials on top, followed by reference,
juvenile, and audiovisual records.
The
information to be recorded is the number of sets and volumes cataloged by class
number and which department requested the items (there is a page for this that
will printout with the other work sheets).
The
other categories are smaller, so the printouts for each group are alphabetized
by the first line of the call number.
Each category is recorded on a separate sheet of ruled paper. The category should be written at the
top of the page. The month and year
in which these materials were cataloged should also be recorded on each
page.
This information is then
recorded on spreadsheets using EXCEL.
The disk is located in the disk storage box on Lydia's desk, and it is
labeled "Statistics 2000/2001." The
spreadsheets are used to compile annual report pages at the end of the fiscal
year and help in providing information for state and federal reports. These new figures are also combined with
figures from the previous years to give cumulative holdings figures for the
different class areas and categories.
Samples of the reports
generated as a result of this information are attached. Full reports are
available in Lydia Williams’ office.