Handbook of Business Procedures
Date published: October 23, 2012
Last revised: October 20, 2022
Issued by: Records Management Service
20.6.4. CATEGORIES OF CORRESPONDENCE
A. Introduction
Correspondence is any type of written or recorded communication used to conduct business at The University of Texas at Austin and must be managed as an official university record, according to its content. Any category of correspondence can exist in any medium, e.g., voice mail, fax, email, or hard copy. Correspondence may be broadly categorized in the following ways:
- pertaining to a project, case, or other record series
- general
- administrative
- transitory information
B. Correspondence That Pertains to a Project, Case, or Other Record Series
For correspondence that is directly related to a project, case, or other record series, the department must use the UT item from The University of Texas Records Retention Schedule (UTRRS) for that series. For example, an email concerning an audit would be retained for the same retention period as AALL003 Audits.
C. General and Administrative Correspondence
Do not use UT Item AALL025 General Correspondence – Departmental Operations or UT Item AALL020 – Administrative Records for correspondence that pertains to a project, case, or other record series listed in The University of Texas Records Retention Schedule (UTRRS).
1. General Correspondence, UT Item AALL025
General correspondence is included in the records that arise from routine university operations, e.g., requests for information. It must be retained for two years.
2. Administrative Records, UT Item AALL020
Administrative correspondence is included in the records that pertain to the development, implementation, maintenance, and modification of university programs, services, or projects as well as to correspondence regarding the interpretation or development of university administrative regulations, policies, and procedures. It must be retained for four years.
D. Transitory Information, UT Item AALL083
Transitory information, such as an unsolicited advertisement or a departmental social email announcement, must be kept only until it has served its purpose, as designated by UT Item AALL083 in the UTRRS. For additional requirements for managing transitory information, refer to 20.6.3. Transitory Information.