7: Disposition
Provide secure and appropriate disposition for records that are no longer required to be maintained by applicable laws and
the organization’s policies.
Other Information:
At the completion of the retention period for an organization’s records, the records must be designated for disposition. In
many cases, the disposition for records will be destruction. In other cases, the records may be returned to clients, transferred
to another organization in connection with a divestiture, or transferred for ongoing preservation to an historical archives,
library, or museum. In all instances, the organization must make a reasonable effort to ensure that all versions and copies
of the records are included in the disposition. The organization must also document its disposition process. If records are
converted or migrated to new media, disposition of the previous media may also be warranted. Disposition of relevant records
must be suspended in the event of pending or ongoing litigation or audit. The organization should designate records that are
to be held pending resolution of the litigation or audit and notify all affected personnel when the hold is issued and when
the hold is released. Destruction of records must be performed in a secure manner, ensuring that records to be destroyed are
transported securely and destroyed completely. The organization may choose to utilize “green” methods of destruction, but
destruction must always be performed in a manner that renders the records completely and irreversibly destroyed. The transfer
of records to the custody of a historical archives, library, or museum should be documented as part of the organization’s
records retention policy. In general, disposition of records in this manner should be governed by appraisal of the records
by a qualified professional. The appraisal should be based upon the historical or intrinsic value of the records. In some
instances, the organization’s records retention policy will designate which records are to be dispositioned in this manner.
Objective(s):
|
