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Records Management

The revised Texas Tech University's Records Retention Schedule was officially approved for use as of July 18, 2014.  The Records Retention Schedule (RRS) lists identified record series by category along with a brief description, the minimum acceptable retention time, and any legal citations and/or related remarks.

To help Tech employees better manage their records the following documents have been created:

  • Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Records Management at Texas Tech [PDF]
  • Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Employee Records and Records Management [PDF]

    • Notice
    Section 441.186 of the State Records Management Laws grants universities the authority to retain and preserve the archival state records of the institution.  Record series that are flagged as "archival" on Texas Tech University's retention schedule are considered to have possible valuable historical information and should not be discarded without approval of the University Archivist. 

    Shredding and Recycling Services: Texas Tech began offering a new shredding and recycling service called ShredTech through the Physical Plant in August of 2014. For more information visit the Red Raider Shred website. The TTU Health Sciences Center campus also offers a document shredding service. Information on this program can be found here. The Office of Sustainability has also worked with several department around campus to promote recycling to help make Texas Tech more environmentally efficient.

    Regarding electronic records:  Section 441.189. Electronic State Records:  a) Any state record may be created or stored electronically in accordance with standards and procedures adopted as administrative rules of the commission. [full citation]  CAUTION - the retention time for an electronic copy is still the same as a paper copy.  An electronic copy must also be readable and accessible for the duration of the retention time and should be disposed of after it has fulfilled its retention time.  If the record has been flagged as having archival value, the University Archivist should be contacted at 742-3749 about preserving the record.

    When disposing of master copies TTU records, the records disposition log should be completed. The Records Disposition Log form is available online.  Instructions for filling out the form and an example of a completed form is shown as well.

    Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center's Records Retention Schedule: The record series are listed alphabetically along with a brief description.

    The Records Management Office is available to help any Texas Tech department with its records retention needs, and can be contacted at (806) 742-3749 or email inquires. The Records Management Office is currently housed in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library.

    Texas Tech University's authority for the legal disposal of records is covered under the TTU Operating Policy and Procedure's OP10.10 and the TTUHSC Operating Policy and Procedure's OP10.09.  Texas Tech undergoes a records survey about every three years, then submits an updated records retention schedule to the State of Texas for approval.  Once approval has been received, the revised records retention schedule will be made available on this website.

    Disaster Recovery- It is the responsibility of TTU administrators to have a backup plan to protect their vital records (i.e. those records that are irreplaceable, unique, or necessary for the operation of their department and the University). The Libraries' disaster recovery procedures are set forth under the Disaster Response Plan. The rest of the University's responsibility to disaster recovery is outline under the Operating Policy and Procedure's OP76.01.

    History

    In 1992, Texas Tech University began its Records Retention Project, in response to state law which required all state agencies, colleges, and universities to implement and adhere to a records retention schedule. At the direction of then University President Robert Lawless, Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center pooled their funds and hired a project administrator, staff personnel, and funded the purchase of necessary supplies. This led to the eventual establishment of an active Records Management Office that carries on the records retention scheduling, identifying and classifying university record types. These record types are used to compile a university-wide retention schedule that satisfies both the state and Tech's requirements. The final retention schedule is submitted every three years for approval to the Texas State Library's Records Management Division.