Updating the Schedule Records retention and disposition schedules are dynamic documents. Government agencies and the records they create naturally evolve over time. Retention and disposition schedules, if they are to remain effective tools for managing agency records, must be reevaluated and updated periodically to reflect structural and functional changes within the organization. The procedures followed in establishing the agency's original retention and disposition schedule must be repeated when making additions or revisions to the schedule. It is important that any change or addition to a retention schedule be made promptly and that those persons using the schedule be notified immediately.
Any delay increases the chance of someone relying on an incorrect schedule.
The purpose of a retention and disposition schedule is to establish a pattern for the transfer or destruction of records on a continuing basis. A schedule is of little value, however, unless it is applied regularly. If, after an initial house cleaning, the schedule is ignored, the results will be disappointing and the problem of accumulating unneeded records will remain unsolved. Careful timing of the destruction and transfer of records reduces handling costs both in the agency and in the State Records Center. Experience has shown that normally records should be destroyed or transferred to the records center once a year.