Public records are often accessed and used too often beyond their retention time. Most often, the records that are in question are subject to FOIL or OPRA access requests or become the subject of other investigations or litigation. This can result in unnecessary searching for old documents, and a significant administrative burden when it comes to retrieving the information required to comply with these requests. A well-organized digital records management system and strict adherence to records preservation schedules are great ways to prevent this type of issue.

It is important to understand the context of a document to determine its type. For example an item that is an original copy of a final report with an extensive amount of information must be kept in a longer-term manner than an unfinished version of the my sources same document.

Retention Schedules are legal documents that specifies the length of time the records should be kept and when it may be destroyed or transferred to the archives (or other disposition options). It is best to adhere to these plans in order to avoid having to search for documents from the past when responding to access requests.

Schedules are classified as ADMIN USE (for administrative use) and PERMANENT (for permanent preservation) or TRANSFERRED to ARCHIVES FOR REVIEW according to the preservation level needed for a particular record. The PERMANENT classification covers policies and procedures, board and council meeting minutes and handbooks as well as institutional accreditation reports, and other significant documents. The TRANSFER TO ARCHIVES for REVIEW category includes records that are not deemed permanent but possess a high amount of archival value. These include records of the president or other senior administration officials, governance group minutes or handbooks beginning or inaugural events and other significant records.