Campus Organizations | Records Retention | BYU-Idaho

# Campus Organizations

Transfer Guidelines for Records of Student, Faculty, and Staff Organizations

## Office of Special Collections and Records Management

Special Collections is the repository for the non-current records of the University as well as for related organizations within the campus community. Special Collections functions as a research center on the history of the institution and the activities of its students, staff, faculty, and alumni. The records of student, faculty, and staff organizations form an important part of the campus's historical legacy. The following guidelines will assist members of organizations in identifying those portions of their files that are appropriate for preservation in the Special Collections. In some instances it may be more appropriate for the organization to keep these records in the office. Consult with a Special Collections Librarian before weeding and reorganizing such records when determining how best to store archival information in an office.

1. Official records: constitutions and bylaws, minutes and proceedings, lists of officers and members 
 
2. Correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects, activities, and functions 
 
3. Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee and task force reports 
 
4. Publications: one record copy of all programs, journals, monographs, newsletters, brochures, posters, and announcements issued by the organization or its subdivisions; Special Collections should be placed on the mailing list to receive all future publications 
 
5. Audiovisuals: photographs in limited quantities, sound and video recordings, and films 

- Photographs required only for a limited time to ensure the completion of a routine action or the preparation of a subsequent record are not collected
- Photographs are collected if content within them are easily identifiable or otherwise identified
- Photographic content should relate to the person, activity, or event of the collection wherein they belong

6. End-product charts and maps that pertain to completed projects and activities

1. Records of specific financial and membership transactions 
 
2. Letters of transmittal where the date and routing information is on the document transmitted 
 
3. Requests for publications or information after requests have been filled 
 
4. All blank forms and unused printed or duplicated materials 
 
5. All duplicate material: keep only the original copy and heavily annotated copies 
 
6. Papers, reports, surveys information, work papers, and drafts that have been published 
 
7. Replies to questionnaires if the results are recorded and preserved either in Special Collections or in a published report 
 
8. Artifacts and memorabilia

Materials should be transferred in the order in which the records' creator maintained them. A letter briefly identifying the materials and describing the activity to which they relate should accompany the transfer.

This list is intended as a general guide. If there are questions about records not listed here or questions about the retention or disposal of specific record series, please contact a Special Collections Librarian.