Handbook of Business Procedures

20.6.2. CONVENIENCE COPIES

A. Introduction

Convenience copies at The University of Texas at Austin are copies of a master record that are created for convenience, reference, or research. Convenience copies may be in any medium, e.g., voice mail, fax, email, or hard copy. A determination must be made as to whether a record is a master record or a convenience copy in order for a department to know how to manage and dispose of it.

B. Determining Whether a Record is a Convenience Copy

Having knowledge of the process by which a record is created can help determine whether a record is a master record or a convenience copy. For example, if Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) issues a memo regarding parking lot closures, each copy received by a department is a convenience copy. The original memo sent by PTS is the master record, which must be retained by PTS.

Administrative units that own recordkeeping systems or processes must provide guidance to their users indicating whether related records managed by departments are master records or convenience copies. For example, the Image Retrieval System (IRS) provides instruction to departments about when a record in the IRS is a master record and what the department’s responsibilities are for maintaining convenience copies.

If a determination cannot be made as to whether a record is a master record or a convenience copy, the record must be treated as a master record. For more information, refer to 20.6.1. Master Records.

C. Destruction of Convenience Copies

Convenience copies may be destroyed any time prior to the final disposition of the master record and do not require authorization for disposal from Records and Information Management Services. The department must include provisions for the management and routine destruction of convenience copies in a records management plan. For more information, refer to 20.4.3. Records Management Plan. Convenience copies that contain confidential information must be destroyed in a manner that preserves confidentiality.

A convenience copy that is retained after the master record is destroyed becomes an unmanaged master record and is subject to all legal requirements of a master record. The recommended practice is to destroy convenience copies on a regular basis prior to or at the time of destruction of the master record. The University of Texas at Austin Records Retention Schedule (UTRRS) requirements apply to convenience copies only if they have been retained after the master record has been destroyed.

Part 20. Records Management - Table of Contents