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Records Management

Records Management in Virginia

Section 42.1-85 of the Virginia Public Records Act requires each state agency to have an active, continuing Records Management program for the economical and efficient management of its records.  George Mason University's Records Management program is part of this statewide program; for additional details, see GMU University Policy Number 1102. The officially designated Agency Records Administrator for George Mason University is: Anne Hakes, Records Manager, Special Collections & Archives Department (SC&A), University Libraries.

The Library of Virginia, which administers the Commonwealth's Records Management and Imaging Services Division, has developed General Records Retention & Disposition Schedules for the disposition of records common to all state agencies. A records retention and disposition schedule is a legally recognized guide that describes the information content and function of a records series and sets the minimum length of time each series must be retained.

General Schedule 111 is the General Schedule for state college and university records.

Other Commonwealth General Schedules that apply to records generated at George Mason University include:

• General Schedule 101 (Administrative Records)
• General Schedule 102 (Fiscal Records)
• General Schedule 103 (Human Resources Records)
• General Schedule 105 (Motor Vehicle Records)
• General Schedule 106 (General Service Records)
• General Schedule 108 (Fire, Safety, and Security Records)
• General Schedule 109 (Library and Museum Records
• General Schedule 110 (Electronic Records)

If you have university records that are unique, contact the Records Manager, who will assist you in drafting a retention and disposition schedule.

For administrative, financial, and legal reasons, please comply with the procedures for the proper disposal of university records. No university public records may be destroyed without a retention and disposition schedule and also the completion of a Commonwealth "Certificate of Records Destruction" (RM-3) form. Before records disposal can proceed, the RM-3 form must be signed by the University Records Manager and also by a representative of the department that created the records in question. Completed RM-3 forms are submitted by the Records Manager to the Library of Virginia to document proper records disposal.

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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