As part of Records and Information Management Month, the Division of IT and K-State Libraries are sharing information about various topics related to records and information management. At K-State, we have many transitory records in paper, audio, electronic, or other formats.
This article focuses on defining the types of transitory records and how to dispose of the records properly.
Examples of Transitory Records
- Announcements and notices of a general nature
- Drafts
- Convenience or duplicate copies
- Messages where the information has no operational value
- Superseded lists
- Stocks of in-house publications that are obsolete, superseded, or otherwise no longer useful
- Blank forms
Disposal of Transitory Records
Transitory records have no ongoing operational, informational, evidential, or historical value. As a general rule, destroy transitory records as soon as they have served their primary purpose. The following are examples of transitory records that can be discarded:
- Notices – once the event has taken place unless you are the originator
- Preliminary drafts – when the final version of a document is issued
- “FYI” – when no longer referenced
- “cc” copies – when the issue is resolved or concluded
- Snapshots or printouts: when the database is updated/rolled over
To learn more about identifying and disposing of transitory records properly, view the How to identify transitory records and deal with them appropriately knowledge base article.
For more information, see the Identifying Records website. If you have any questions about records and information management, contact Ryan Leimkuehler rleimkue@ksu.edu, University Records Manager.
