Records Management News Archive

New Storage Request Forms
Dec 09, 2006

Records Management Services has recently updated our Storage Request Forms (formerly called the Records Transfer Inventory).

The forms can be found HERE

The forms can now be filled in online, printed and then mailed or faxed to us.

In an effort to better serve the University community we have provided a choice of two forms, one for research data only and one for all other types of records.

There is a new section on each form that gathers information we often need to process your requests. By including this information on the form, we eliminate the need to call you for clarification-- which means we will be able to pick up your boxes faster.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us at 543-0573 or urc@u.washington.edu

General Records Retention Schedule Revised
Dec 08, 2006

Records Management Services takes great pleasure in announcing the 2006 revision of the University of Washington General Records Retention Schedule.

Major changes have been made to the management of ProCard Records, and to the retention periods of Grant and Contract research data/consent forms.

A number of new series can also be found throughout the General Schedule.

Please check individual sections for these additions.

Summer Training
Dec 08, 2006

SHOULD IT STAY OR SHOULD IT GO: RECORDS MANAGEMENT BASICS

Summer is here, the sun is shinning, and people all over campus are weeding and purging their files. Come to Records Management Services Summer Training Session and learn about what to keep and what to destroy.

We will discuss how long to keep records, what litigation/public records holds mean to your office, where and how to send records for storage, and how to shred confidential records. We'll even show a video on the perils of poor record’s management. So if you are new to your office, or just need a refresher... join us for one of these free sessions!

Upper Campus:
July 18, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Gerberding Rm 142

Health Sciences:
July 24, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

To register for one of these sessions please contact Megan Sibbert 543-6512 or msibbert@u.washington.edu

Customer Satisfaction Survey
Dec 05, 2006

Thank you for your participation in our recent customer satisfaction survey. We appreciate your feedback and will follow up on comments in the coming months. Click here for results of the survey.

Reduction in Shredding Service
Dec 05, 2006

Due to budget constraints, we very much regret to announce that as of November 20, 2006 we will no longer be able to provide shredding services for confidential records that have not previously been in storage at the University Records Center. Click here for the Full Announcement

Government Keeps Civilian Workers Secret
Dec 03, 2005

For nearly two hundred years, citizens have been able to know who works for the federal government, their salary, job category and workplace. When the practice started in 1816, President James Madison was the first entry – earning $25,000 – followed by Secretary of State James Monroe. However, in recent years, this information is being harder to obtain and as one research group discovered, names are being withheld without justifiable cause.

What does this have to do with the UW? Read and find out.

Records Management Services is Updating Our Contacts
Dec 03, 2005

Records Management Services is in the process of sending out our annual update packets. Keep your eyes open for your packet in campus mail. Please update your Records Authority, Records Coordinator, and the people on your Access Authorization form by Dec. 1, 2005 and return it to our office at box 354910.

If you have any questions please contact Andrea Watts at 543-0573 or wattsa@u.washington.edu.

Records May Hold Answers to Atrocities in Guatemala
Dec 01, 2005

A large cache of mildewed police files found in a Guatemalan munitions depot may hold clues to the truth behind decades of state-sponsored kidnapping and assassinations. The reams and reams of documents bundled and stacked up to 10 feet high in bat-infested rooms may look like a giant trash heap, but for human rights investigators it is a hidden treasure.

What does this have to do with the UW? Read and find out.

Personnel Changes
Nov 02, 2004
We are very happy to announce that Andrea Watts has joined our office as a Records Analyst 2. Andrea comes to us from the office of the Secretary of State where she was the Agency Records Officer. With her experience in writing and implementing Records Retention Schedules, Andrea will make an excellent addition to our team.

Getting Ready for Disaster
Nov 02, 2004
“…..windows were broken out of high-rises, water mains were snapped like twigs”……“mountain slopes were shorn away, exposing gray earth and rubble that still emit great clouds of dust”…. “we don’t think we’re going to get electricity back for several days”. All examples of what a city like Seattle can experience when faced with a major disaster.

Do You Know Where Your Records Are?
Nov 01, 2004
How many of you have unearthed boxes in storage rooms, under desks, or behind the closet doors? And did you wonder in exasperation “where did these boxes come from,” followed by the desperately mumbled “when am I am going to find the time to take care of them?” Morgan Stanley recently discovered that allowing records to be scattered throughout offices cost them $604 million.

Good Record Keeping Lessons Learned the Hard Way
Oct 31, 2003
The field of records management seems to be gaining prominence in the news lately. Prosecutors and judges have very little tolerance for individuals or businesses that do not follow legal records retention schedules when they make decisions to destroy records.

Welcome to our new staff member Dawn Marsh
Dec 09, 2003
In March 2004, Dawn joined our office as a Records Analyst I. Dawn received her MLS from Simmons College in Boston and comes to the UW from the Chicago Tribune. She will be the main contact for records storage, retrieval and shredding requests. You can contact Dawn at 543-0573 or dawnm2@u.washington.edu.

Records Coordinator/Records Authority and Access Authorization Update
Dec 09, 2003
This July Records Management Services is conducting our annual update of the Records Coordinator/Records Authority Directory we maintain for each department at the University. We are also updating our Access Authorization Lists. The directory identifies the person(s) designated to meet an individual offices records related responsibilities, while the Access Authorization List identifies the individuals in an office who have boxes in storage. Look for it in July's mail.