Handbook of Business Procedures

20.2.2. HOW TO USE THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE (UTRRS)

A. Introduction

Departments use information from The University of Texas at Austin Records Retention Schedule (UTRRS) to develop a departmental records inventory and to request to dispose of records.

Refer to UTRRS Resources for extensive information and links to materials developed to assist in using the UTRRS. In addition, Departmental Records Management Contacts (DRMCs) are required to take UTLearn class IG101, and other university staff are encouraged to take UTLearn module IG103, both of which provide an excellent introduction to the UTRRS and guidance in its use.

For more information or assistance with the UTRRS, contact Records and Information Management Services (RIMS).

B. UTRRS Guidebook

The UTRRS Guidebook is the detailed key to the fields, codes, and notes in the UTRRS. It is updated frequently to provide current and specific information about the UTRRS document components:

State Item Number
State item numbers are assigned to the State of Texas Records Retention Schedule (RRS) and the State of Texas University Records Retention Schedule (URRS) by the State and Local Records Management Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. When a UT Item is based on a State Item, the State Item number appears in the State Item column.

UT Item Number
The UT Item Number is an alphanumeric code assigned by The University of Texas at Austin records management officer (RMO). The UT item is composed of a prefix indicating which departments and units should use the UT item and a set of three numbers to create a unique number for each record series.

Record Series Title
The title for the type of records for which retention requirements are being set. A broad or general title is chosen to include records with similar functions that have the same retention requirements.

Records Description
A description of the type of records for which retention requirements are being set.

Retention Code 
When a code is used in addition to years, months, or days to set a retention period, the code will appear here.

Common retention codes include:

• AC = After Closed (event), e.g., termination of employment, graduation, publication of report
• AV = Administratively Valuable
• CE = Calendar Year-End (Dec. 31)
• FE = Fiscal Year-End (Aug. 31)
• LA = Life of Asset
• PM = Permanent
• US = Until Superseded

Retention Period
The length of time a record must be retained before destruction or archival preservation. This may be expressed as years, months, or days and may be used in conjunction with a retention code (e.g., FE+3).

AC Definition
When the AC retention code is listed in the Retention Code column, the exact parameters for that trigger will be defined here.

Archival
Records that have historical value may have archival requirements listed in the UTRRS regarding review and transfer to university archives. Record series marked with archival review codes "I" or "O" in the Archival column must be transferred or evaluated for archival preservation.

• I = Transfer
  The records must be transferred to the university archives when the records have met retention requirements or they are no longer needed in the department.
• O = Review
  The university archivist must review records before disposal. Some or all of the records in a record series may be selected for transfer to the archives in lieu of destruction once the retention period has been met.

For more information, refer to 20.2.3. Archival Requirements.

Vital
Vital records are essential to resume operations and recreate the legal and financial status of the university in the event of an emergency or disaster. Most university records designated as vital are managed in university enterprise systems and not at the department level. A department must identify any vital record series it manages in its records inventory. Vital records are not necessarily permanent records. Records that have vital designation may be disposed when all retention requirements have been met.

Remarks
The Remarks column contains information about the record series that may be critical in making determinations about classifying records. This column contains additional information about retention requirements and refers to related or similar series in the UTRRS.

Legal Citations
This column lists federal or state code that sets retention requirements for a record series.

Notes
Any general notes certified as part of the UTRRS.

Part 20. Records Management - Table of Contents