On the Record

December 2, 2020

The newest edition of the University of Texas at Austin Records Retention Schedule (UTRRS) is live!

The Fine Print

The eighth recertification of the UTRRS, published as UTRRS 8.0, is adopted as university policy effective September 16, 2020. All previous versions of the UTRRS are obsolete, and all departments must follow the minimum retention periods in UTRRS 8.0. The new and revised retention periods apply to all records, whether they were created before or after September 16, 2020.

New for UTRRS 8.0

UTRRS 8.0 brings improved series to support your recordkeeping practices and align with the university's business processes. It offers:

New or updated series based on:
- collaboration with subject-matter experts university-wide
- updates to the State of Texas Records Retention Schedule (State RSS) released in May 2020
- the new State of Texas University Records Retention Schedule (URRS) published in December 2019
New or updated descriptions to help users determine the correct series to use for departmental records
New or updated referrals to other series that may be used, updated information for archival reviews or transfers, and updated cautions for ensuring that records are retained correctly

By the Numbers

UTRRS 8.0 has 301 AALL prefix-code series for use by all departments; the other 392 series are for use by specific departments identified by a department prefix-code, e.g., PAY is for the Payroll Office.

UTRRS 8.0 has:

195 new series
460 updated series
38 unchanged series

There were 223 series deleted from UTRRS 7.4, many of which were replaced by the 195 new series in UTRRS 8.0. Overall, UTRRS 8.0 has 693 series, a reduction of 29 series from the UTRRS 7.4, which had 722 series. We hope to reduce the number of series even more in future amendments to streamline the UTRRS for ease of use.

Updated RM Tools

With the publication of the UTRRS 8.0, we also published:

an updated Request to Dispose of Records workbook and form
an updated Records Inventory workbook and template
a new UTRRS 8.0 Guidebook that helps make sense of the fields and components of the UTRRS

The UTRRS 8.0 and updated tools are now being used in records management training.

Still to Come

Through the fall and into next spring, RIMS will provide resources and support for UTRRS 8.0, including:

Documentation of Changes from UTRRS 7.4 to 8.0

A list of deleted series and the series to use in their place
A list of new series
A comprehensive list of all changes from UTRRS 7.4 to UTRRS 8.0

New or Updated RM Tools, Guides, & Webinars

An updated Records Management Plan with a new downloadable template
A revised guide and acknowledgment for imaging departmental records
New records management guides for categories of records series, e.g., Student Records, Faculty Records, Financial Records, etc.
Dedicated training and resources for specific roles at the university created collaboratively with different organizations, e.g., Career Advisors, Graduate Student Coordinators, etc.
A series of webinars to introduce new series in the UTRRS 8.0 and changes from the previous schedule

Thank you! Merci! Gracias!

A huge thank you to all the department records managers and subject-matter experts who asked questions about managing records, proposed new series for their department's record types, participated in meetings, reviewed proposed updates or new series, or commented on a records series in the university's schedule.

Your questions, comments, and input helped us craft series that meet the needs of you, the people managing records, and reflect the recordkeeping practices and business needs of the university.

The journey to the 8th recertification of the UTRRS has been long, but it has been successful because of your help.

The Journey

RIMS starting planning for the recertification in 2017, and began dedicated work in January 2019. Throughout 2019 and into early 2020, we met with over 100 subject-matter experts from various departments to review series that were in their purview, and then we met with many of them again as new information emerged.

RIMS submitted the first version of the 8th UTRRS at the end of February 2020 to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). TSLAC provided feedback to us at the end of May, and allowed time for us to make additional updates based on the extensive revisions to the State of Texas Records Retention Schedule (State RSS) that became effective just after we had submitted UTRRS 8.0 for recertification. Reconciling to the revised State RRS was a mini recertification in itself, requiring the review of hundreds of general series. Finally, RIMS submitted the revised version at the beginning of August. We received notice in October that the 8th recertification of UTRRS was approved, effective for use September 16, 2020, and have worked since then to update and publish the UTRRS 8.0 tools and assets.

This has been one of the largest updates to the UTRRS in its 20+ years of existence, and we hope the updated schedule provides you with the information you need to make your recordkeeping easier. If not, let us know and we'll be happy to review any series or to work with you to add series that match records created in your department.

Resources

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