Policy Manual

The Records Management Program and Retention Schedule are designed to assure that official records will be preserved appropriately while providing economy and efficiency in the creation, organization, maintenance, use, and disposition of records.

The Records Management Program and Retention Schedule include:

1. Procedures dealing with records of transactions of the official business of the institution, including design, handling, maintenance, filing, storage, and security.
2. Procedures dealing with utilization of space, equipment, and supplies.
3. Schedules for retention of official records, and the form in which they are to be retained, either in offices or archives. University of Iowa records retention criteria require that all official records, as defined above, be maintained for a minimum of five years, ten years, or permanently, based on the requirements of the record type. If the legal retention requirement for a specific official record type is anything other than 5 years, 10 years, or permanent, the assigned retention requirement will round up to 5 years, 10 years, or permanent, to meet University policy requirements. Exceptions to these retention requirements must be approved by the Records Management Committee.
4. Schedules for destruction of official records and the method to be used.
5. Standards for reproduction of records.