Records Management

• Administer the institutional Records Management program
• Originate and approve all requests to dispose of State of Texas records
• Manage the vital records protection program and records security for the institution
• Records Management training and consulting services
  • Records disposition
  • Imaging support services
  • Barcoding and data entry
  • Off-site storage management
• Oversee adherence to records retention policies for the institution
• Coordinates shredding services
• Conduct cost versus benefit analysis of records management activities
• Manage documentation of archived records including the retrieval system for inactive records

Records are the evidence of what the organization does. They capture its business activities and transactions, such as contract negotiations, business correspondence, personnel files, and financial statements, just to name a few.

State law defines a state government record as “any written, photographic, machine-readable or other recorded information created or received by or on behalf of a state agency or an elected state official that documents activities in the conduct of state business or use of public resources”.

Records come in many formats:

• Physical paper in each employee’s files, such as memos, contracts, marketing materials, and reports
• Electronic messages, such as e-mail content and their attachments and instant messages and texts
• Content on websites, as well as the documents that reside on flash drives, desktops, servers and document management systems
• Information captured in the organization’s various databases

When there is a lawsuit, all of these items, including the copies that individuals have retained and any items prematurely deleted or destroyed, may be identified as discoverable. This means they could be used against the organization in a lawsuit.

Examples of non records:

• Stocks of publications and printed brochures
• Quasi-official notices, unsolicited announcements, invitations or other materials that are not filed as evidence of operations
• Preliminary drafts, worksheets, informal notes
• Routing slips that contain no pertinent information or approvals
• Personal property such as employee copies of personal file, certificates, training documentation
• Convenience copies of records in addition to the official record
• Blank forms, file and office supplies

Records are information assets and hold value for the organization. Organizations have a duty to all stakeholders to manage them effectively in order to maximize profit, control cost, and ensure the vitality of the organization. Effective records management ensures that the information needed is retrievable, authentic, and accurate.

The State of Texas requires each agency to have a certified records retention schedule. All Agencies must keep records according to specified periods designated by the schedule. The schedule lists the record holdings of the agency and defines how long records must be retained.

• Records Retention Schedule
• Policies & Procedures (Section 04 Administrative, Information Resources)

Everyone is. Each employee has an important role to play in protecting the future of the organization by creating, using, retrieving, and disposing of records in accordance with the organization’s established policies and procedures.

Your current supervisor will need to send a request to RecMgmt@unthsc.edu authorizing your access to ApplicationXtender. The request from your supervisor should include your first and last name, your EUID, and the name and EUID of someone who currently performs the same functions in AppXtender that you will be performing so that person’s permissions can be copied to your new profile.