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Records Retention

Records Retention

A&M-Texarkana maintains an active and ongoing records management program as required by Texas Government Code §441 and Texas A&M System Regulation 61.99.01. This program is designed to identify, preserve and protect state records in a consistent, efficient, and economical manner.

In order for the records management program to be effective, university departments must establish an effective records management program and have in place management plans that best suit them. Departments are responsible for their own records retention, storage and timely disposal, but must comply with applicable state laws, system regulations and university procedures for records management. A&M-Texarkana University Policy for Records Management.

All questions related to records management at A&M-Texarkana should be directed to the Records Officer, Tim Arnold. He can be reached by telephone at (903) 223-3088 and by email at tarnold@tamut.edu 

Definitions of Record Types

State Record:

Any written, photographic, or other recorded information created or received by or on behalf of a state agency or an elected state official that documents activities in the conduct of the state business or the use of public resources (Texas Government Code §441.180). Emails received on office computers fall under the definition of state record and must be treated as such according to the content of the email and based on the requirements of the retention schedule.

Copies of Record:

The official state record kept on file as the original or master copy and maintained by the institution for the total retention period. These records are subject to the retention schedule, and must be disposed of in a timely manner according to the retention schedule. Failure to do so results in non-compliance.

Copies of record require approval prior to destruction or disposition. The records destruction form (pdf) must be completed, submitted to the Records Officer and returned to the department fully approved before destruction or disposition can take place. If you are unsure whether the document you hold is the copy of record please contact Tim Arnold by email at tarnold@tamut.edu or by telephone at (903)223-3088.

Transitory Records:

Records that have temporary usefulness and are needed only for a limited time for the completion of a particular action. These records are not essential to the documentation of an agency’s functions, they are not a part of any record series and they are not listed in the Record Retention Schedule. These records can be disposed of without approval; however departments should have a process for disposing of these records. Examples of transitory records include temporary information such as telephone messages, routing slips, some memos, some draft documents, incoming letters that add nothing of substance, routine information that is used for communication but not for documentation.

Convenience Copies:

All other copies of the copy of record that were created for convenience, reference, or research. Convenience copies can be destroyed at any time but must be destroyed by the end of the retention period. They cannot be kept longer than the record copies. If a convenience copy is kept longer than the record copy it becomes a copy of record and results in non-compliance.

Inactive Records:

Records that are referred to infrequently but must be maintained until the retention period is over.

Active Records:

Records that are needed to perform current operations or duties. They are accessed frequently and should be near the user.

Record Retention Schedule

The Texas A&M University System Record Retention Schedule is recertified every 3 years by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. It contains the most common records series and specifies how long each record must be retained by the university before it can be disposed of or considered for archival preservation.

The Record Retention Schedule is divided into 7 sections. You may view the entire schedule or select a section for viewing below.

Any questions regarding the Records Retention Schedule should be directed to Records Officer.

Record Retention Schedule (Complete)
Section 1: Administrative Records
Section 2: Electronic Data Processing Record
Section 3: Personnel Records
Section 4: Fiscal Records
Section 5: Support Services Records
Section 6: Student Records
Section 7: Agency Program Records

Texas A&M System Records Retention Schedule (8th Recert., Amend. 1, eff. 08/30/2021)


Record Retention Training

Texas A&M University-Texarkana offers training in records management to departments and individuals upon request. Additional training is available through the A&M System online training system – Train Traq Course #11015 : Retention of State Records, and Records Coordinators are required to complete this training every two years. If you are interested in a department or individual training session, contact Tim Arnold by email at tarnold@tamut.edu or by telephone at (903)223-3088.

Disposing of State Records

All records in the Record Retention Schedule may be disposed of in one of two ways.

Archival Preservation:

If a record is designated in the Record Retention Schedule as one which should be kept as an archival record or if a department believes that a record should be kept for archival purposes and placed in the university archives, the department should contact the Records Officer for consultation.

Destruction:

If a record has met the retention period in the Record Retention Schedule, it must be destroyed in a timely manner, and this process has to be approved and documented using the Records Destruction Form (pdf). This process is extremely important as we must verify that there is no reason that documents may not be destroyed such as pending litigation, claims, negotiations, audits, open records requests, or administrative review. If any of these are pending, then records must be kept until the completion of these actions.

The Records Destruction Form and instructions for preparing the form are provided in downloadable formats. Assistance in filling out forms is available as needed. Contact Tim Arnold at (903) 223-3088 or by email at tarnold@tamut.edu.

Completed forms may be scanned and sent by email to tarnold@tamut.edu or sent via campus mail to the attention of Tim Arnold, Library.

Records Destruction Form 

Instructions for Preparing Records Destruction Form