Records Disposal

Retention Schedules

Form: Records Disposition Request (available in Mircosoft Word and/or Acrobat Reader formats)

All public records, exempt or non-exempt, must have approval from the Division of Library and Information Services before being disposed. (see 257.37(7) F.S. and 119.07 F.S.)

Obsolete, superseded or administrative value is lost: Administrative Code 1B-24.010(3) states, "Record (Master) Copy and duplicate records with a retention of 'obsolete, superseded or administrative value is lost' (OSA) are not required to be submitted on a Records Disposition Request prior to disposal. Knowledge of disposal eligibility of these records is the responsibility of the Agency."

Terms: Active Record: Records which still have sufficient administrative, fiscal, legal or historical value to warrant continued storage.
Duplicate Records: Reproductions of the master copy which are not designated as the official copy.
Dispositioning: Destruction, off-site storage or archival storage.
Inactive Records: Records that have lost some value or superseded by new records, but have not yet reached their retention requirement.
Record (Master) Copy: Record designated as being the copy of record.
Retention: Minimum time to retain records before they have met their administrative, legal, fiscal or historical usefulness.

Steps to disposal of records:

Complete a Records Disposition Request

Box 1: Agency Name - Florida State University, departmental name, departmental mail code

Box 2: Agency Contact - Name & Phone number

Box 3: Notice of Intention - Choose option from list

Box 4: Submitted By - Sign & date

Box 5: List of Record Series
a. Schedule No. - Records Retention Schedule (i.e.: GS-1SL, GS-5)
b. Item No. - as listed in the Records Retention Schedule (i.e.: 116)
c. Title - as listed in the Records Retention Schedule (i.e.: Attendance & Leave Records)
d. Retention - as listed in the Records Retention Schedule (i.e.: 3 fiscal years)
e. Inclusive Dates - dates of the documents you want to destroy
f. Volume in Cubic Feet - see conversion table
g. Disposition Action and Date - Complete AFTER authorization is obtained to destroy the records
Box 6: Disposal Authorization - Authorizing signature from FSU's RMLO - DO NOT SIGN

Box 7: Disposal Certificate - sign and date AFTER receiving authorization and records have been destroyed

Send the completed form to Melanie Welch, Mail Code: 1320 for authorization PRIOR to destroying any records! Once Disposal Authorization is obtained, the form will be returned to the contact person.

Upon receipt of the signed Disposal Authorization is received, records may be disposed . Complete the remainder of the Request as directed in the cover memo returned with the approved Records Disposition Request.

After the form has been completed according to the directions supplied, return the ORIGINAL Records Disposition Request to Melanie Welch, Mail Code: 1320.

If there is a question concerning disposed records, contact Melanie Welch at mwelch@admin.fsu.edu to obtain a copy of the Records Disposition Request.