Pg. 4 of 20 - Classification & Appraisal - Requirement

Basic Records Management Principles

The goal of records management is for records to be quickly available for future use by those who need to see and use them.

What Is A Record?

The law defines a record according to three characteristics.

It is documentary material that is-

  • Prepared, owned, received, 
  • Retained by a governmental entity or political subdivision and is,
  • Reproducible.

The process of determining whether an item is or is not a record can be complicated and misunderstood at times. 

What is NOT a Record?

  1. A personal note or personal communication prepared or received by an employee or officer;
  2. A temporary draft or similar material;
  3. Material that is legally owned by an individual in the individual's private capacity;
  4. Material to which access is limited by the laws of copyright or patent unless the copyright or patent is owned by a governmental entity or political subdivision;
  5. Proprietary software;
  6. Junk mail or a commercial publication;
  7. A book that is cataloged, indexed, or inventoried and contained in the collections of a library open to the public;
  8. Material that is cataloged, indexed, or inventoried and contained in the collections of a library open to the public, regardless of physical form or characteristics of the material;
  9. A daily calendar or other personal note prepared by the originator for the originator's personal use or for the personal use of an individual for whom the originator is working;
  10. A computer program that is developed or purchased by or for any governmental entity for its own use;
  11. A telephone number or similar code used to access a mobile communication device that is used by an employee or officer of a governmental entity, provided that the employee or officer of the governmental entity has designated at least one business telephone number that is a public record as provided in Section 63G-2-301;