The DCA is the steward of the University's permanently valuable records and collections created in any format, ensuring their permanent preservation and accessibility.
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A preliminary way for an office staff to determine if its current onsite records storage system meets their needs is to consider the following questions:
An organized and standardized system that minimizes duplication and misfiling is economical in that it saves time during initial retrieval, prevents lost files and filing duplicate records. An efficient filing system, records classification system, and appropriate filing equipment solve most common problems. These problems may include space limitations, physical location and storage problems, lack of a standard language or system, and cost issues.
Physical and intellectual control of active records both empowers and protects a department. This control is realized through retention and disposition schedules. These schedules, developed by the University Archives in conjunction with administrative offices, identify permanent records of long-term value and records whose value is contingent on such factors as duplication or time. Adhering to the schedules minimizes potential legal problems by keeping only what needs to be kept and only for the required retention period.
The highest priority is balancing departmental needs with established records management principles. This is accomplished by working with office staff to establish guidelines that work for them. Disposing of, recycling, or removing inactive records to the University Archives according to established schedules allows more effective use of active records and contributes to daily office efficiency.
A good filing system can be one of the most important factors in determining office efficiency. An appropriate system is easy to learn and use. It should be based on the type of material created and received, the storage needs of that material, and how the material is used by staff.
The following are brief descriptions of the most common types of filing systems:
Numerical systems are filed in numerical order according to the first (primary), second (secondary), or third (tertiary) set of numbers for example. Terminal digit systems are filed according to the last set of numbers. Hospitals and insurance companies with large numbers of similar records are the most likely group to use this type of system.
Alphabetical systems are filed by first name, last name, or first word of a subject title.
Alpha-numeric systems combine both alphabetical and numerical systems.
Subject files are arranged alphabetically by subject. This is most successful when the number of subjects are predetermined to prevent misfiling and duplication.
Chronological systems are arranged in order by date of creation or date received. Subject and correspondence files are usually arranged chronologically.
One type of system may not apply to all the records in a department. Systems may be combined and changed, as long as consistency dictates filing decisions.
File cabinets are most commonly used to store paper documents. Vertical file cabinets are deeper than they are wide. Lateral file cabinets are wider than they are deep. Both types are available in a one to five drawer design.
Follow recommended guidelines regarding weight or number of documents and folders per drawer.
Hanging folders are folders with built in hooks that hang from parallel bars on the side of a filing cabinet.
Store only recomended size and weight of materials for this type of folder.
Moveable shelving/compact storage are stored on shelves that move on tracks attached to the floor. These systems can be manual or motorized.
This type of shelving is appropriate for large collections of material. Many records are stored in a limited amount of space. There is an issue of floor load capacity as compact shelving is dense and thus has a great amount of weight in a relatively small area.
Boxes: Follow recommendations on number of folders per box.
Folders are containers used to hold and protect stored records in an orderly manner.
Be aware of recomended amounts of documents per folder and make use of the creases on folders.