The records created, received and used by the University are essential to its efficient and effective functioning. They provide evidence of its activities and important information about its status, the rights of its staff and students and its relationships with other organisations. In order to realise the true value of these assets it is essential that records in all formats are managed appropriately.
The following guidance is intended to inform good practice in the creation, storage, management and disposition of the substantial volume of the University's recorded information held in electronic document format; it will benefit all staff in terms of business efficiency as well as helping to ensure the University complies with relevant legislation which affects record keeping, particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (2018) and the Freedom of Information Act (2002).
Discrete, individual item of written information in any form (paper or electronic) which constitute the smallest unit of filing. This includes paper letters, memos and reports as well as electronic formats such as WORD documents, EXCEL spreadsheets, emails and ACCESS databases. Documents become records when they meet the definition of "record" below.
Information "created, received and maintained as evidence and information by an organisation or person, in persuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business."
A system of organising, storing and identifying documents and records to enable their retrieval, use and disposition. Can be either paper or electronic.
The physical process of placing documents and records in the appropriate location and order within a filing system.
A set of related documents and records (regardless of format) organised and kept together
An area on the computer where electronic documents can be filed and organised within the Windows operating system environment.
Electronic storage location on network accessible to a defined group of users
Shared network drive spaces accessible to staff working in the safe administrative area or academic department should be used to store and manage the University's electronic records. This approach brings the following benefits:
University records should not be held on personal network drive space where they cannot be accessed by colleagues (although there may be exceptions for sensitive or confidential information) and should never be stored on a computer's local 'c' drive where they are both inaccessible, and in the event of disaster, unrecoverable.