A Quick Guide to Records Management

Here in Virginia, all public records created at state agency and local government offices are governed by the Virginia Public Records Act (VPRA). This act requires government employees to maintain an active records management program, appoint Records Officers, and report the destruction of public records to the Library of Virginia (LVA).

The public records in the records retention and disposition schedules reflect the records created and managed by state agencies and localities in the Commonwealth. Within the Records Management Section, we value the insight and perspective of Records Officers to appropriately provide records management guidance and to account for public records that are present within agencies. So, the Records Officer’s input is critical to how the Records Management Analysts maintain and publish retention schedules on your agency or locality’s behalf. We encourage Records Officers to communicate their viewpoints on how their associated schedules can be revised. This could include updating jargon within records series descriptions and series titles. Another example would consist of adding a new records series to account for public records not accounted for on a present schedule. In any of these instances, reach out to your assigned Records Management Analyst, as we are happy to assist and update schedules as necessary.

A Records Management Analyst is an individual at the Library of Virginia who assists agencies and localities with records management questions, training, and retention schedule updates. Records Management Analysts maintain contact with the Records Officers in both agencies and localities, as well as with the Records Coordinators exclusive to agencies.

Analysts are different from Records Officers and Records Coordinators. A Records Officer is responsible for their agency, locality, or department’s records management program and can give final approval for RM-3 Certificates of Records Destruction. A Records Coordinator is exclusive to agencies and is only responsible for maintaining boxes in Infolinx.

LVA’s Analysts are assigned to both agencies and localities and can be contacted by phone, email, or Microsoft Teams. Agencies and localities are grouped into 15 categories and divided out to Analysts.

In Virginia, we have three different types of retention schedules: General Schedules for Localities; General Schedules for State Agencies; and Specific Schedules for State Agencies.

So, how are retention schedules created? Who sets the retention? Who’s involved in the process?

For General Schedules, an update usually comes one of two ways. The first is through legislation that compels us to increase retention or develop new series. The second is through a panel composed primarily of local and state government employees that gathers to discuss and make recommendations.

For Agency-Specific Schedules, an update is usually agency-driven. If you’re an agency employee and notice you have one or more schedules that haven’t been updated in a while, it might be a good idea to reach out to your assigned Analyst to begin the process of updating your schedule(s)! To check on your agency’s schedules, select your agency’s name from the drop-down menu on LVA’s “Specific Schedules for State Agencies” page. Once you’ve done that, you’ll see all the schedules your agency has, with their last updated dates beside their schedule numbers.

LVA’s Analysts are working towards bringing all Agency-Specific Schedules into the 21st century and will gradually be reaching out to work on these updates with agency Records Officers. We know that updating schedules takes time but we’re aiming to make this process as smooth as possible with the intention of having updated schedules that accurately reflect the public records being managed and created at state agencies. We understand that, for many folks, records management is not their primary responsibility and that they are often wearing many hats at their office. We don’t expect this to be at the top of your priority list and are happy to accommodate your timetable for updating schedules.

Did you know that an agency or locality can have more than one designated Records Officer? While the Virginia Public Records Act specifies for every state agency and locality to designate at least one Records Officer, designating more than one Officer is totally fine! Having an additional Records Officer on staff could alleviate the pressure of finding a replacement when one Records Officer retires or separates from an agency. For some agencies/localities, the load of overseeing and managing public records can be heavy. To lessen the load of records management being the sole responsibility of one Records Officer, we encourage additional Records Officers to be designated!

Depending on the various types of public records that are managed at your agency/locality, it may be helpful to have Records Officers responsible for the management of specific records within an office or department. If an agency/locality chooses to designate more than one Records Officer, ensure that all Records Officers are aligned with one another on the set policies and procedures of records management at your offices.

VA-ROL is the Virginia Records Officers Listserv. It’s our primary method to let Records Officers know about retention schedule updates and records management news.

If you’re a Records Officer, please don’t unsubscribe unless you’re leaving your role! You never know when a schedule update might be important for you and your department.

As some state agencies have their own agency-specific records management training, it’s a good idea to check in with your Records Officer to make sure you’re up to date on your agency’s policies. Your Records Management Analyst can also provide you with individualized training, both as a supplement to agency-specific training and as a standalone session. Based on your department’s needs, the Analyst can adjust their presentation to incorporate common challenges faced by your team, which you can then record for future reference.

In addition to providing individualized records training for agencies/localities, the Records Management Section continues to identify general records management training needs. On the Library of Virginia’s Records Management YouTube page, there are pre-recorded records management training videos accessible for agencies/localities to reference. We encourage agencies/localities to use these videos for training purposes of new and existing employees at your offices as well.

Do you have a records management training topic idea? Reach out to your assigned Analyst as we are progressively working to update and provide training to ensure effective records management knowledge within agencies/localities of the Commonwealth.

Are you having a hard time with records storage space within your office? Well, the Library of Virginia and State Records Center are here to help!

If you have permanent records with a disposition of “Permanent, Archives,” you can request for those records to be transferred to the Archives here at the Library of Virginia. By transferring your permanent records to the Archives, they will be permanently preserved and made accessible to the public–along with giving you more room to hold non-permanent records within your office! Records Officers are to contact their assigned Analyst before beginning a transfer. And, yes, transferring your permanent records to the Archives is free!

So, what about inactive, non-permanent records? The State Records Center (SRC) stores records on behalf of government entities of the Commonwealth for a monthly fee. No matter if your records are in paper, microfilm, or electronic format, these records are kept in a secure and environmentally stable location. If you are a locality within proximity or a state agency interested in freeing space by transferring your non-permanent, inactive records to the SRC, contact your assigned Analyst to gain more information.

Teshawna Threat and Emily Johnson, Records & Information Management Analysts