Once per year the Records Management Program in Bismarck will send NDSU a Records Disposal Report with a list of the records series and dates to be disposed of according to the approved NDSU Records Retention Schedule. The information will then be passed along to the unit records coordinators who will complete documentation to certify that the corresponding records have been disposed of. The actual method of disposal is determined by the record series. Options for disposal of records which are not to be retained are shred, recycle, and archive.
This process will begin sometime in 2009. This portion of the Web site will be updated as more information becomes available.
A note about litigation holds
As defined by the North Dakota Solicitor General, a "litigation hold" is the process of identifying and preserving documents, electronic information, and other materials that may constitute evidence in pending or "reasonably foreseeable" litigation. Information subject to a litigation hold should not be disposed of until the hold is canceled or removed.
If you know of litigation or possible litigation that might affect your records to be disposed of, or if you receive a "destruction hold notice", please immediately contact the NDSU General Counsel for guidance.
The latest disposal report for NDSU is available as a searchable Adobe Acrobat format:
Records with a disposal method of "Retain" are to be kept by the holder or in a designated storage area. At this time NDSU does not have a central storage facility for records.
Once the retention/disposal schedule has been approved and disposal begins, paper records with a disposal method of "recycle" will be disposed of in normal recycling bins. Other media (electronic, microforms) would also be appropriately discarded or recycled.
Records with a disposal method of "shred" often contain confidential information and must be disposed of properly. Paper or microform records must be shredded in an office shredder or through a shredding service. If you have large volumes of documents to shred please contact purchasing for options (there will be a charge). Other media should also be disposed of so as to destroy any data. For electronic media this may mean that the device has to be physically destroyed or completely overwritten with data at the end of its life.
No shredding is to be done until the record series disposal schedule has been approved by the state. If you have records you want to shred immediately please contact the NDSU Records Management Coordinator .
Records with a disposal method of "archive" are transferred to the NDSU Archives at the end of the hold time and must be documented by the NDSU Archives internal transfer form. The following are records that are typically transferred to the University Archives for permanent retention. This is not an inclusive list.
Please contact the University Archives at univarchives@www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu or 1-1017 or 1-8914 prior to sending anything.
See University Archive FAQ for further information.
Academic Administrative Records
Accreditation Records
Administrative correspondence
Administrative, college, and departmental histories
Agenda and Minutes
Annual Reports
Architectural renderings of campus facilities
Articulation Agreements
Audio/Visual Presentations
Budget
Building/Construction/Plant Improvement Inventories/Major Equipment
Bylaws
Charts, maps, and/or blue prints
Committee and task force reports
Constitutions and by-laws
Departmental Files
Departmental Meetings
Directives/Policies/Procedures/Guidelines
Educational Catalog Records
Employee Manual
Faculty Guidelines and Policies
Faculty personnel files
Fund-Raising Records
Gender Equity Reports
Gifts/Donations
Honors/Awards
Minutes and proceedings
Newsletters/Publications
Office files (correspondence and memoranda)
Organizational Charts
Photographs
Policy files
Program Evaluations
Program reviews and accreditation reports
Project files
Public Relations Material
Publications (produced by NDSU)
Reports/Plans
Retreats/Workshops/Seminars/Conference
Sports Information
Student Guidelines and Policies
Subject files
Summary Awards