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1. What is records management and who is responsible for it?

Records Management is the systematic control of all records of an organization throughout their life span, including creation (or receipt), active use, inactive storage, and destruction or permanent retention. A Records Management Program incorporates policies and procedures for the efficient and cost-effective handling of records that provide for the legal, fiscal and administrative needs of the organization.

The City of Hampton provides guidelines for handling City records. Its purpose is to promote consistent record retention practices by City departments, that allows for ongoing compliance with local, state and federal law, including the Virginia Public Records Act, and to meet requirements of external entities, when necessary.

Each department should establish a "records liaison" responsible for the implementation of the guidelines. The Records Manager serves to assist City staff with implementing the LVA’s retention guidelines, and serves as a resource for staff seeking information.

Download Records Management Manual

2. How can a Records Management Program make my job easier?

1. Releases you from liability.


• Destroying records according to an APPROVED RETENTION SCHEDULE releases you from the chain of custody for those records, meaning that these records cannot later be discovered and used in litigation.
2. Frees up office space.


• A retention schedule can help you determine how long to keep records after they are no longer in active use. These inactive records can then be boxed up and put in off-site storage rather than take up valuable office space. Considering the cost of file cabinets and office space at City Hall this is a considerable savings!
3. Saves time in locating records.


• A Records Management Program ensures that the right information is available in the right order to the right person at the right time at the lowest possible cost. A good program allows you to spend minimal time locating records.

3. What is meant by "destruction date"? Where do I get this information?

What is Meant by "Destruction Date"? Where Do I Get This Information?
The retention guidelines developed by the LVA assigns retention periods (usually in years) to each class of record. The "destruction date" refers to the end of the retention period when records may safely be destroyed. When records stored with Iron Mountain reach their destruction date, your department will be notified, and approval must be received from your department director for Iron Mountain to proceed with destruction. Once destruction is carried out, we receive a certificate of destruction for our records.

If you are unsure what the destruction date of your records should be, email records@hampton.gov.


Destruction of Offsite Records

4. What if I prefer to keep everything permanently in my office?

1. Increasing volume of records.


• It's a fact that computers have not eliminated the need for paper. Some would argue that we actually generate more paper records now than we did before the advent of the personal computer. The number of records generated in the course of city business continues to increase. The LVA’s Records Retention Guidelines identifies the different types of records typically generated by City institutions. Keeping everything means you will, in time, be overwhelmed by paper.
  
2. High cost of storage.


• Lateral and vertical filing cabinets cost hundreds of dollars. Facing these kinds of costs, it makes sense to distinguish between records that should be kept for an extended period of time and those that should not as an alternative to piling up boxes and purchasing more filing cabinets.
3. Increasing volume impedes ability to locate items quickly.


• The more material you have, the greater the possibility that items will not be located when they are needed (this is true for both paper and digital records), thus wasting time and money.
  
4. Risk of loss or damage in a disaster.


• Keeping everything in your office or in your own storage area means that your records are in danger of being lost or damaged in the event of a disaster. Storing your inactive records off-site with Iron Mountain transfers the burden of caring for those records from you to them.
5. Risk of pre-trial discovery.


• Keeping records longer than the time periods recommended by the LVA increases the risk of pre-trial discovery of records. Information provided by these records may be taken out of context or misinterpreted, thereby damaging the City in a court of law and incurring steep legal fees.

5. I’m a new staff member at the City. How can I find out about managing City records?

1. Check this web site often for tips, the answers to frequently asked questions and other items of interest for records managers.
2. Take a look at the Library of Virginia’s website for information about records and records management.
3. If you have questions, email records@hampton.gov.

6. How do I know when records can be destroyed and how should I destroy them?

There is no separate policy for the destruction of records. Rather it is based on the records' series retention and/or the content of the record. For example, any document with personally identifying information (SSN, bank account information, etc.), must be shredded, but we must also maintain the City’s business records for the required period of time.

The LVA provides specific instruction regarding destruction and designates when shredding is the only or preferred alternative. Reviewing the LVA’s Retention Schedule(s) will provide you with the information you need to safely perform records destruction.


Destruction of Records Information Sheet