IARA County/Local Records Management - Understanding Retention Schedules

 

Hello Clerks and staff,

 

During the remainder of February, I plan to discuss the records retention schedules, explain record series and their components, and talk about record series terminology. By March, you will be able to understand the records retention schedules and how to read them!

 

Retention Schedules:

IARA creates records retention schedules to make it as easy as possible for you, listing and describing:

• the categories of records commonly created by your office
• how long to keep the records in each category
• what happens to those records both during and after that time period

The key to using retention schedules effectively is an understanding of their contents, format, language, and how to apply all of that to your records. Each retention schedule consists of instructions/guidelines and a specific collection of record series, regardless of the order in which they're listed on that schedule. The record series includes a record series number, title and description, and retention period.

 

As Clerks, you use the Non-Judicial County Clerks (CL) and the County/Local General (GEN) retention schedules most regularly. 

 

(There are other retention schedules beyond the CL and GEN that you may use like the Zoning, Planning, Development and Enforcement (LAND) or Special Districts (SD) but primarily you will stick to your office-specific schedule CL and the GEN.)

 

Not all records are covered on your retention schedules. New record types are created all the time, and older types can go unnoticed until it's time to clean out that storage room or courthouse basement. If you come across a record that doesn't seem to be covered by a retention schedule, contact IARA's County/Local Records Section at cty@iara.in.gov/ 317-232-3380, so that they can help you identify it, and if necessary, update a relevant retention schedule to include it.

 

Other Tips:

• Don't worry about the item numbers on retention schedules; they don't have any individual meaning, and you'll never need to supply that information on a records disposition or transfer form.
  
  
• Don't assume there's something wrong with your copy of a retention schedule if the record series are in a different order than you're used to. The one that you think is missing is most likely just on a different page!
  
  
• Retention schedules can be found on IARA's website under Services For Government then County/Local Retention Schedules.

Let me know if you have any questions. Next we will review the record series!

 

AMY CHRISTIANSEN JANICKI

Records Management Liaison

Indiana Archives and Records Administration

o: 812-929-3882

e: achristiansenjanicki@iara.in.gov |

w: www.in.gov/iara

a: 402 W Washington St, Room W472, Indianapolis, IN 46204

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