IARA County/Local Records Management - RS Terminology

Hello Clerks, Recorders, and staff,

While IARA records analysts try to write as plainly as possible, some of the language or terminology used on retention schedules may still be a bit obscure. Other words are familiar enough, but may be put together in a way that doesn’t immediately make sense if you're not used to records management. Here's a brief guide to help clear things up!

AUDIT
Unless another type of audit is specifically mentioned, this refers to the audits performed by the Indiana State Board of Accounts. You'll find these references in the instructions for when to transfer or destroy certain records, and they'll usually be phrased like this: "…after receipt of STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS Audit Report and satisfaction of unsettled charges."

CONFIDENTIAL 
Depending on the age of the record series you're working with, you may find this stated in a number of different ways.

Older phrasings: Confidential, Partially confidential, Confidential at the discretion of a public agency
Modern phrasings: Access [to these records] may be affected by…, Disclosure [of these records] may be affected by…

All of these will be followed by a state, federal, or local legal citation that (if you look up the cited code) will explain why the record or some parts of it are confidential, and if applicable, how long the information must remain that way. (Some records are confidential forever; some have a time-limit.)

For an employee reading the retention schedule, these all mean basically the same thing: these records, or some part of these records, contain information that not everyone is allowed to access. The details on who is allowed to access the records, which parts might be open to everyone, any time limit on the confidentiality, and the reasons for it, can be found by reading the full text of the listed legal citation in its source publication. (Indiana Code, US Code, etc. Your office doesn't need a copy of these codes; they're all available online if you need to look one up.)

CRITICAL RECORD
On a select number of record series, you'll find the phrase "THIS IS A CRITICAL RECORD" in the description. This refers to records that are considered critical to the continuity of Indiana government in an emergency situation, as described in Indiana Code 5-15-5.1-12. Critical records are determined by IARA (with input from county/local stakeholders) during a retention schedule's development. For Critical Records, microfilming is mandatory (unless other arrangements are made under IARA guidance) and will be listed on the records retention schedule as such, with copies of the microfilm distributed and retained as indicated in the relevant retention instructions.

DISPOSITION
What happens to the records, including any changes of format. Disposition isn't synonymous with "destruction." Rather, destruction is one type of disposition. Other types include maintaining a record permanently in the office, transferring a permanent record to the Indiana State Archives, or (with special permission from your County Commission on Public Records) transferring a non-permanent record to the Archives or a local historical entity with an interest in the subject.

EVALUATION, SAMPLING or WEEDING
Most record series scheduled for transfer to the Indiana Archives will contain language like "for EVALUATION, SAMPLING and WEEDING pursuant to archival principles." This just means that the archivists are authorized to review the contents of the records transferred to them, and keep for the permanent collections only those parts that they determine to have lasting value. Those "archival principles" consist of their own experience and education, best practices in the archival profession, and any processing guides that have already been created for that record type by Indiana Archives staff.

MICROFILM
Copy original paper (and sometimes data) records to microfilm format. Some record series instructions may refer to microfiche; this is still microfilm. Fiche is just a specific way of printing and cutting the film.

OUTDATED OR REPLACED
Some records are only useful while they are the active copy of the information, and have no agency or historical value once a new version has been created or received. For records like these, you will likely see retention instructions of "DESTROY when outdated or replaced." This means that once you have the new copy, or the information on your current copy is no longer accurate, it's fine to destroy that one.

PERMANENT
Just what it sounds like: these records must be maintained permanently for historical or other long-term purposes. However, they might not have to be maintained permanently in your office. PERMANENT records that are no longer needed in your office may be transferred to the Indiana Archives at the discretion of the Archives, and on a space-available basis. (Be aware that title to any record transferred to the Indiana Archives transfers along with the record, per Indiana Code 5-15-5.1-11.)

TRANSFER
Most often used to mean: You should move the records from their current location – usually within your office – to the Indiana Archives, or to some other listed repository.

In some rare cases: You may find a phrase like "If XYZ happens, TRANSFER to Record Series PDQ." In that situation, TRANSFER means that because certain criteria (XYZ) have been met, these records should now be considered to fall under a different record series (PDQ), and you should follow the retention instructions for that other series.

Find more terminology information on the Indiana County/Local Records Custodian Handbook. 

 

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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