UT Box Metadata Template Case Study

The instructions below are for adding the UTRRS Record Retention Metadata template to new folders in UT Box. If you have existing folders with existing files, you can use the instructions to apply the metadata templates and default values to your existing folders. Be certain to select Enable Cascade Policy in both Step 1 and Step 4 so that the default values you set are assigned to all existing subfolders and files. If you have a number of files stored, it may take some time for the changes to propagate.

For more information about the UTRRS Record Retention Metadata template, refer to the UT Box UTRRS Record Retention Metadata Template Guide.

 

Create Staff Records folders and Add Metadata

Departmental Staff Records

In your department-owned folder in UT Box:

  1. Create a folder for “Staff Records”
  2. Click on the three dots for More Options then select More Actions > Metadata. A new window will pop up for ‘Metadata for “Staff Records.”’
  3. Click Add and select “UTRRS Record Retention Metadata” from the list.
  4. Click on the pencil icon to edit the template.
  5. Click on the option to Enable Cascade Policy so the template will be applied to all subfolders and files.
    1. Once you enable the cascade policy, Box will present you with options in case of conflicts. For new folders, either option is okay. Conflicts only occur if you there are subfolders or files that already have the same template applied. If you are applying the template to a folder that has subfolders or files that may have the same template, you must decide if you want to keep or overwrite existing values. There are only conflicts with the same template; other templates will not be affected.
  6. In the metadata fields, enter or select the default values shown below:

                                                 Field     Value

UTRRS Version UTRRS 8.0

                                               UT Item Code     AALL207

                                         Retention Period      AC + 5

         Requires Authorization to Dispose?     Yes (master)

                                ISO Data Classification      Confidential

                                                       Archival?     No

  1. Click Save.

 

Current Staff Folders

  1. Open the “Staff Records” folder
  2. Create a subfolder “Current Staff”
    1. This will inherit the metadata you set in step 6.
  3. Open the “Current Staff” folder
  4. Create a subfolder for each of your current staff members using the naming convention “LASTNAME-Firstname”
  5. In each “LASTNAME-Firstname” folder, edit the metadata to assign that staff member’s EID as the value for the “Identifier” metadata field.

                                                        Field     Value

                                                Identifier     [EID of employee]

  1. Remember to click on the option to Enable Cascade Policy so the metadata is applied to all subfolders and files.
  1. Now, when you create any new subfolders or upload/add any new files into a current staff member’s folder, they will inherit the values you assigned in step 6 and the new value you added in step 12.

Former Staff Folders

  1. Open the “Staff Records” folder
  2. Create a subfolder “Former Staff”
    1. This will inherit the metadata you set in step 6.
  3. Create a folder for each year you have former staff, e.g., 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, etc.
  4. Move the employee’s folder from Staff Records > Current Staff to Staff Records > Former Staff > YYYY, where YYYY is the calendar year the employee ended their employment.
  5. For the employee folder you moved (“LASTNAME-Firstname”), edit the metadata to add values to the follow fields:

                                                               FieldValue

Record Close DateEmployee’s last day of employment, in YYYY-MM-DD format

Eligible Disposition DateFirst day of the month following the last day + 5 years, in YYYY-MM-DD

 

  1. Rename the folder to add the record close date at the beginning of the folder name, e.g., “YYYY-MM-DD LASTNAME-Firstname”
  2. Now, you’ll be able to easily discover which records are eligible for disposition by knowing which records are in which year and adding 5 years to that for disposition.

Folder and File Plan Example

  • The records for the current employee, Chris Smith, are in the folder:
    • Staff Records > Current Staff > SMITH-Chris
  • Chris Smith leaves the university for a new role on August 31, 2021
  • Their employee folder is moved and renamed to:
    • Staff Records > Former Staff > 2021 > 2021-08-31-SMITH-Chris
      • The record close date is 8/31/2021
      • The eligible disposition date is 9/1/2026

 

Managing Disposition for Staff Records

When disposing of the records, you may choose to request to dispose of records each month but it’s easier to pick one or two times a year. You will want to coordinate the disposition of all records in your departmental records inventory and plan. For many administrative records and employee records, January is a good month to use. You can request to dispose of all records that became eligible for disposition in the preceding year. For example, in January 2027, you would be able to dispose of all records held in the 2021 folder, including the 2021-08-31-SMITH-Chris records that became eligible on 9/1/2026 in the example above.

 

Contact RIMS

Location:

Records and Information Management
MAI 132
110 Inner Campus Dr. Stop K5400
Austin, Texas 78712

Email:
Phone: