Tips to Clean Up Electronic Records from University Records Management

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Aug. 9, 2023, 2 p.m.
As we begin the migration of employee H: Drives to OneDrive, University Records Management (URM) has compiled the following tips on cleaning your H: Drive to make the migration easier.
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As we begin the migration of employee H: Drives to OneDrive, University Records Management (URM) has compiled the following tips on cleaning your H: Drive to make the migration easier.

1. Know how long your records need to be kept.

Consult the University Records Retention Schedule to determine how long your records need to be kept. If they are past the recommended retention period, you can delete them so they aren't migrated to OneDrive. If you have specific questions not answered by the Retention Schedule, email URM at rm@syr.edu.

2. Purge drafts and working documents for projects that are completed.

Once a project is completed, delete all drafts or working documents. These are fine to keep while the project is ongoing to see the progression of the work, but once the final document or report is completed there is no longer a need for “Final_Report_version2” or other versions.

3. Know the difference between Reference or Personal Copy, Department Copy and Official Record.

Each of these terms has a different retention length, so know which copy you've created.

4. Understand where to store your records – G: Drive vs. H: Drive/OneDrive

For electronic records, answer these questions before you decide where to store records:

First: Will these records be needed after I am no longer employed by the University? Are these records helpful to my department or only to me? If they would be needed or helpful to your department or a project you are working on, then they should be stored on the G: Drive or another shared workspace. If they are only helpful or understandable to you, then they should be stored on your H: Drive or OneDrive.

Second: Are these records held by another department? Which department is the official record holder? An example of this would be an invoice that you paid and were reimbursed for. Who else holds this? Most likely it was also submitted to your department business/finance team and to the Comptroller’s office. Both the Comptroller and department copies have defined retention lengths per the University Retention Schedule, and they are required to keep those records accordingly. Your personal copy is considered a reference copy and is only required to be kept as long as needed, usually no more than a year in the event of an audit requiring back up information. In this example, both the department copy and the Comptroller’s copy should be kept on the G: Drive or another location that can be accessed by those who need the information to conduct their business. Your personal reference copy should be kept on the H: Drive or OneDrive.

What should be stored on your Department’s G: Drive or Shared Drive?

What should be kept on your H: Drive or OneDrive?

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