Transferring Records

Records should be organized in accordance with the Board of Regents Retention Schedules. Please consult these schedules to determine the recommended classification and retention for your records.

Examples of the kinds of materials housed in Records Center storage:

• Personnel records
• P-card statements
• Research grant accounting records
• Payroll documents
• Student financial aid records
• International student records
• Budget planning
• Student academic records
• Admissions records
• Safety records related to hazardous materials
• Incident and/or arrest reports
• Audit records
• Affirmative action records

Examples of things not to retain:

• Copies of reports that can be regenerated from electronic resources
• Material which duplicates GT Library or Archives holdings (e.g. old Fact books, Institute or departmental annual reports)
• Records material whose retention has expired
• Blank or unused forms
• Old letterhead stationery

Records should be organized into sets which are identical in form and/or function, and have the same date range or fiscal year.

Indicate the earliest and latest dates of the records in each box. The latest date of the record(s) will be used to establish the review/destroy date.

Do not combine different kinds of records in the same box.

Enter any additional information about the records that will allow for efficient and effective searches & retrievals.

The official title of a record group is determined in accordance with Board of Regents Retention Schedules. Please consult Records Management staff if you do not know the official title for a group of records.

Do not put ring binders or hanging folders into the boxes. Lids need to completely close in order to fit Record Center shelving. Remove the contents of ring binders and hanging file folders and place in regular file folders. Be sure to label new folders appropriately. Boxes can be filled with crumpled paper to ensure files stand up.

Records must be packed in standardized boxes designed to fit the Records Center's shelving.

Standardized records boxes can be obtained through the Georgia Tech Staples website. Use the manufacturer’s number, 12770, to search for the boxes on Staples’ site.

The required boxes (view an example of the required box) are medium duty and can accommodate both legal and letter sized documents. Record boxes which do not meet these criteria cannot be accepted for storage in the Records Center and will be returned to the department of origin.

Our standard box label should be printed only on Avery 5168 labels. A limited number of pre-printed labels can be obtained from records management staff. Record boxes without this adhesive label will be returned to the department of origin.

Each box label must include the following:

• Department
• Record type or series
• Retention number
• Inclusive dates of records in box
• Filing order of contents
• Individual box number and total number of boxes per record group

Labels should be placed on the short end of the box.

Note: Records Center Staff will label the boxes with the Accession number.

A Records Request must be completed and submitted to Records Management. A Records Request must be prepared for each different record type or series that is being transferred. For example, submit a transfer request for different record types like accounts payable records, p-card administration records, personnel records, etc.

The Records Request will capture all of the relevant information to facilitate pickup, storage and retrieval access for your records. If you have questions concerning the form or about how to determine the appropriate retention classification, please contact Records Management staff.

This form should be as detailed as you think is necessary for you to retrieve records should you need to consult them in the future.

After receiving a Records Transfer Request from your department, Records Management staff will arrange for the pick-up and transport of your records boxes to the Records Center. Records management staff will assign an accession number to each group of records transferred. You will receive an accession confirmation email subsequent to the transfer notifying you of the transfer and the accession numbers assigned to each records group.