On the Record - July 7, 2021

July 7, 2021

Records and Information Management Services (RIMS) would like to announce the new Request to Dispose of Records process, and the new way to share archival descriptions with the University Archivist.

Updated Request to Dispose of Records Form and Process

RIMS has made it easier than ever to submit your requests to dispose of records. The new process is designed to ensure that the information submitted using Microsoft Forms has been reviewed by RIMS and corrected, if need be, by the requestor before departmental signatures are collected via DocuSign. Department signers will also receive the DocuSign notification when the request is authorized.

RIMS has updated the Request to Dispose of Records Workbook and Form to support the new process. If you have saved earlier versions locally, please visit Request to Dispose of Records to download a copy of the updated workbook or the form only.

Disposition Process Steps

The revised Disposition Process is below, including notes for Steps 3, 4, and 5 that have changed:

1. Identify the master records in your department that are eligible for disposition based on the applicable record series and retention periods found in the UTRRS. The Records Inventory is a useful resource for tracking your department’s records.
2. Complete the Excel request form available for download from Request to Dispose of Records with the description of the master records that are eligible for disposition.
3. Upload the Excel request form you created using the new online RIMS Request to Dispose of Records Submission Form.
   • This is a change from the previous process, where you had to print the form to PDF, sign it, and then get your department head to sign it before you sent it in email to RIMS. The submission will now happen via the form, and the signatures will be requested via DocuSign after RIMS reviews the form.
   • On the submission form, you will be asked to enter your:
     • Department's Department Records Management Contact (DRMC) name and EID.
       • If you are not the DRMC or don't know who is, you can find yours using the Organizational Hierarchy System (OHS); the DRMC will be listed as the primary Records Management and Retention contact. If your department does not have a DRMC listed in the OHS, you may leave the field blank.
     • Department head's name and EID.
       • The department head is the person who has the authority and required knowledge in your area to authorize the destruction of records, typically a unit lead or director.
4. Receive the request through DocuSign for signatures once RIMS processes the request and resolves any questions.
   • This is the step where you will sign the form. Once you sign, a notification copy will be sent to any identified Department Records Management Contact (DRMC) and it will be routed to your department head for their signature.
   • After that, it will route to RIMS for the RMO authorization signature and final processing.
5. Receive authorization to dispose via DocuSign once you, your department head, and the RMO have signed the request.
   • When the request has been authorized, you will be notified via DocuSign, along with notifications sent to any identified DRMC and your department head.
   • Once you receive notification of the authorization, download the authorized form for your records, and proceed to destroy or transfer the records as directed in the letter attached to the form.
   • Because the entire submission/authorization process will be completed in DocuSign, RIMS will no longer send the authorized form to you in email. You must download a copy from DocuSign for your records and retain as AALL115 Request to Dispose of State Records for three years.
6. Destroy or transfer the records within 90 days of approval.
7. Notify RIMS within 5 days of the destruction or transfer to archives.

A New Way to Share Archival Descriptions

If there are series in your Request to Dispose of Records form that require archival review or transfer, RIMS will share a link to the new Requests for Archival Description form. The archival description form, created in partnership with University Archives, organizes information to assess the need for preservation of the records.

The archival description form results will be shared with the University Archives and with RIMS. Once the archival description is received, RIMS will continue to process the request to dispose of records for signatures and authorization. NOTE: You may opt to submit separate Request to Dispose of Records forms for record types that require archival review or transfer so that records that do not have archival requirements can be processed more quickly.

Rollout of the new Disposition Process

During the rollout of the new process, RIMS will migrate requests that use the old format into the new form. RIMS will no longer accept older versions of the forms, but we will continue to help your department transition to the new format.

Please forward this information to your team and provide them the opportunity to download the new form.

Please let us know if you have any questions about the new process.

In Other News

Virtual Records Management Training

Records and Information Management Services (RIMS) has scheduled sessions in UT Learn for records management training through the fall of 2021. We offer two courses: 1) IG 101: Records and Information Management for Department Record Managers, a 2-hour class with hands-on experience required for DRMCs but open to all who have records management responsibilities and 2) IG 103: Records and Information Management: What Everyone Needs to Know about University Records, a 1-hour class recommended for everyone else at the university. Visit our website to learn more about the learn more about the records and information management training courses, or visit UT Learn to find and register for one of the available sessions.

COVID-19 Records

The university has been through a lot of changes in the last year and a half, and we’ve been creating records that will have value for future scholars to understand the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please review the series AALL703 Emergency Response and Recovery Records for information about retaining information related to the pandemic response as records that have historic value and require archival review.

Working Remotely

Flexible work arrangements are here to stay. More of us will be working remotely at least some of the time, and we will all be using more paperless processes. No matter where we are, when we work, or how rarely we use paper, we will continue to create official records in both paper and electronic formats that must be managed appropriately and in compliance with university policy. University Records Guidance While Working Remotely provides useful information for managing university records; it is linked as a new quick guide from our home page.

Resources

• UTRRS Resources
• Records Management Plan
• Imaging Departmental Records
• Records Inventory
• Request to Dispose of Records
• Is it a Record? (PDF)