Anyone interested in further information on this important project is encouraged to visit their extensive web site at ils.unc.edu/digitaldesktop/
Generally Accepted Practices:
- Organizing and managing e-mail is the responsibility of the individual University employee
- E-mail systems administrators are responsible for system security and performance but not for advising users about which messages to keep and which to purge
- E-mail (like paper or microfilm) is not a record series in and of itself - rather, it is a means of transmission of information
- E-mails have different retentions based on the content of the message, just like other types of records
- Which e-mails to keep depends on the requirements in the University's records retention schedules
- Personal and 'junk' e-mail should be deleted as soon as no longer needed
- E-mail is discoverable in legal actions!
- Print important messages along with its metadata, or back-up to an electronic system
- Backing up an e-mail system onto tapes or other media, or purging all messages after a set amount of time are not appropriate strategies for managing e-mail
- Saving messages in an open format (such as ASCII text) increases the chance of accessing messages in the future; however formatting in the original version may be lost
- Messages should be maintained in a format that preserves the accompanying metadata
Is e-mail handled differently than paper?
No, e-mail should be managed by its content, not its format. Whether or not you keep an e-mail message depends on its value, subject, and function. Electronic records have the same retention as similar paper-based records.
Is e-mail considered a record? Remember - work related e-mail created and received by University employees during the course of business are University records.
E-mail of continuing value, such as those that document administrative decision-making, committee, faculty, and campus activities are records.
E-mail with short-term value should be deleted and purged once their purpose has concluded.
These include:
- those distributed to a number of staff for information only, such as news bulletins, meeting notices, copies of documents; drafts
- those created solely as part of preparation for other records;
- personal messages and announcements not work related;
- junk mail.
First, determine if the e-mail message or attachment has continuing value.
E-mail of continuing value, such as those that document administrative decision-making, and committee, faculty, and campus activities, should be retained in paper or electronic copy until no longer administratively useful, and then deleted or transferred to the University Archives according to the University's officially approved records retention schedules.
Examples of messages that may have continuing value are those which:
- approve or authorize actions or expenditures;
- are formal communications between staff, such as memoranda relating to official business;
- signify a policy change or development;
- create a precedent, such as messages issuing instructions or advice;
- relate to the substantive business of the work unit or University;
- involve negotiations on behalf of the University;
- have value for other people or the work unit as a whole.
Messages whose loss would pose a significant fiscal, legal, or administrative risk to the university if they could not be accessed or read should be kept.
Unwanted or unneeded junk mail (spam) and personal messages, are not University records and should be routinely identified, separated, and removed.
Ask yourself the following when determining if an e-mail should be kept or deleted:
- Who else received this message? If there are multiple recipients, are you the person responsible for maintaining the record copy of a document for as long as the retention schedule states, or the length of its continuing value? Other recipients of this document should delete it when it is no longer useful to them or the task is completed.
Example: You are the chair of a committee and receive meeting minutes from a committee member; as the chair, retention of the document is your responsibility until transferred to the Archives or the items are deleted. Committee members should not keep minutes or documents beyond the term of the committee.
- Is the email or attachment a work in progress (such as a draft)? If yes, do you need all versions? Retention of drafts can depend on whether you are the creator or recipient and on the type of document. As a general rule keep drafts only if they are needed to document the process, such as evidence when negotiating an agreement. In most cases, the final version is sufficient for long-term retention.
Personal messages. These should be retained only as long as necessary.
Messages with short-term value (only needed for a limited time or purpose) should be deleted and purged once their purpose has concluded.
Such messages may include:
- News bulletins
- Listserv messages
- "Informational" emails
If you choose this management technique for maintaining physical and intellectual control over your email, it is not necessary to retain the original electronic mail message.
It is advisable, however, to document this practice of printing and purging as a regular business practice.
For messages of particular importance you might consider retaining them in both electronic and print formats.
E-mail messages that are printed must include certain information from the original electronic version.
Those components include:
- Addresses (not names of distribution lists) of specific recipients (the "To:")
- Addresses in "cc:" and "bcc:" fields
- Addresses of the sender (the "From")
- The subject line
- The body of the email message
- All attachments
- The date and time the message was sent and/or received