Documenting Disposition of Unscheduled Records

You may use this form to submit data about records you would like to dispose of, but which are not listed in current Duke University records retention guidelines.

The form also may be printed and completed manually by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

After you submit the form, you will be notified when it is acceptable to dispose of the records in question. Please wait until you are notified before disposing of the records.

***DO NOT use the form to document the disposition of records or other information that currently are part of an audit, investigation, or other official action. Similarly, do not use the form to document the disposition of records that are still active and being used in your office to fulfill University responsibilities or functions.***

Why is it important to document the disposition of records that are unscheduled?

• In the absence of an approved set of retention guidelines, documenting disposition shows that you did not dispose of University records arbitrarily.
• If the records are needed in the future for official actions, documenting disposition provides evidence of why the records are not available.
  
• Documenting a one-time disposition action allows you to clean out large volumes of records whose usefulness has ended. The alternative is to wait for the records in question to appear in approved retention guidelines, which may take several months.
• Documenting disposition provides evidence of compliance with Federal record keeping requirements, if applicable.

If you have questions concerning University records disposition, send an email to the Duke University Archives or call 660-5820.

Printable version of records disposition form (requires Adobe Reader).

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