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Records Management

Glossary

Active Record: A record that is currently used to fill the need for which it was originally produced or acquired. Active records are not eligible for Records Management until they become inactive. Also see vital record.

Administrative Value: Records that have continuing utility in the operation of an agency.

Archive: A computer term meaning to transfer data from an active system to a storage medium, often tape or disk, for preservation. This type of archiving does not imply permanent retention.

Archives: A repository specifically designed for preservation, storage, display, and use of archival records. The term may also refer to the organization operating the archives. Information management specialists use the term to denote anywhere computer records are stored off-line. The George Mason University Archives is the repository for archival records of George Mason University.

Archival Record: Permanent, public record determined to be of sufficient historical, continuing, or enduring value as to warrant the added cost of storage, conservation and preservation in an archival facility. Not all permanent records are archival records. George Mason University archival records are eligible for transfer to the George Mason University Archives.

Certificate of Records Destruction (RM-3): The Commonwealth of Virginia form used to document each destruction of records.

Disposition: Action to be taken on a records series at a specified time. May entail destruction, usually by means such as shredding, recycling, or electronic wiping, or may entail reformatting, transfer, or permanent retention.

Fiscal Value: Records that are needed to document and verify financial authorizations, obligations, and transactions.

General Schedule: A Commonwealth retention and disposition schedule that applies to records that all state agencies or localities have in common. The Library of Virginia creates all General Schedules for Virginia State Agencies. General Schedule 111 is the schedule for records generated by state universities and colleges in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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Historical value: Applies to records that contain unique information, regardless of age, which provides understanding of some aspect of the government and promotes the development of an informed and enlightened citizenry.

Inactive Record: A record that is no longer actively used, has unfilled its original purposes, but is being retained for other administrative, fiscal, legal, or historical purposes.

Legal value: Records that document actions taken in the protection and proving of legal or civil rights and obligations of individuals and agencies.

Non-record: Item that doesn't meet the requirements of a record (i.e., an item that has no temporary or permanent value). Nonrecords can include convenience, courtesy, or information-only copies of a record, reference books and exhibit materials made or acquired and preserved solely for reference use or exhibition purposes, extra copies of documents preserved only for convenience or reference, and excess stocks of publications. Examples of nonrecords are: copies of non-policy announcements, duplicate copies of backups, reading files, reference books, and general distribution items that one's own office did not originate. Nonrecords are not eligible for storage in the George Mason University Records Center and, consequently, may be discarded once they are no longer useful.

Permanent Records: Records that require permanent retention as a result of having permanent administrative, fiscal, legal, or historic values. Examples of permanent records are permanent student records, deeds, executive minutes, and documentation regarding the creation, dissolution, or reorganization of a school, department, academic unit, or institute. The Commonwealth of Virginia has a list of some categories of records that are considered to be permanent. Certain permanent records are eligible for transfer to the GMU University Archives.

Privacy Act: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. George Mason University complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (FERPA). FERPA limits the disclosure of certain student-related information. Under certain circumstances, these restrictions continue after the student in question has completed his or her enrollment at George Mason University. Privacy requirements affect the retention schedules for certain student records, the release of such information, and the document destruction process for such records.

Public Record: Any and all records created or accumulated during the course of public business, including paper, microfilm, electronic, photographic, audio, motion picture or video recordings.

Record: Any document or group of documents related to a specific subject or transaction.

Records Center: A facility used for low cost, temporary storage of inactive, non-permanent records.

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Records Center Box or Carton: A standardized storage carton specially designed to store either letter or legal size files on a standardized set of shelving. The carton is approximately one cubic foot in volume and 15" x 12" x 10" in size, and is intended to house records for storage in a records center.

Please note:
Records center boxes are the only type of boxes in which records can be stored in the George Mason University Records Center. Storage and safety reasons make it mandatory that all boxes in the Records Center be of a uniform size. As spelled out in the "Guidelines" section, any non-standard boxes transferred to the Records Center will be returned to the donor department so the department can re-box the records in the mandatory record center boxes.

Record Copy: The agency or locality copy of a record officially documenting actions. The record copy may be the originial copy or a duplicated of copy of items sent to other agencies or departments.

Records Management: The efficient and effective management and control of the creation, maintenance, use, and disposal of records, files, and forms.

Records Manager: An individual, also known as a records officer, designated to monitor and control the creation, use, storage, transfer, and destruction of records. The Virginia Public Records Act of the Code of Virginia requires that every state agency have designated records manager.

Records Retention and Disposition Schedule:
An approved timetable stating the retention and disposition of specific public records. Also called a retention schedule. Retention schedules constitute a legal plan for the destruction of records. It describes the types of records, by records series; states how long records must legally be retained; specifies when to dispose of records; and documents other relevant retention and disposition information by records series. A schedule also may state if records are to be reformatted, or if they must be disposed of in a certain manner (in Virginia, the Library of Virginia's General Records Retention and Disposition Schedules for State Agencies currently permits records to be disposed by waste/landfill/recycyling, shredding, or electronic "wiping").

Records Series:
A group of identical or related records that are normally filed together and that document a particular function, transaction, or activity.

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Records Survey (RM 19): An analysis of records to determine future retention and disposition actions.

Reformatting: The transfer of information from one physical format or medium to another. For additional information, refer to the Library of Virginia's publication on Records Reformatting Options.

Retention Period: The length of time a record is held before disposition takes place.

Retrieval: The process of locating and withdrawing a document from where it is stored. The GMU Records Center provides retrieval services.

RM-3, Certificate of Records Destruction: The Commonwealth of Virginia form used to document each destruction of records.

RM-19, Records Survey Form: The Commonwealth of Virginia form used to analyze records to determine future retention and disposition actions.

Temporary Record: Record that is no longer needed for daily operations, but that must be retained for a defined period of time. Many inactive temporary records are eligible for Records Management. The George Mason University Records Center is the repository for inactive temporary university records.

Vital Record: A record absolutely needed to conduct business or to reconstitute an agency, organization, office, or unit (during or after an emergency), or to preserve the rights of the state or its citizens. Sometimes called essential records. Vital records considerations are part of an agency's records disaster prevention and recovery program. Vital records are not eligible for transfer to the George Mason University Records Center until after they have become inactive.

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ITU | University Libraries | Special Collections & Archives | Records Management

Fenwick Library, Room C201. MSN 2FL. TEL 703.993.2201. FAX 703.993.8911. Email

Last updated: April 2006