As part of Records and Information Management Month, the Division of IT and K-State Libraries share information about various topics related to records and information management. This week’s focus is on email records.
Every K-State employee is individually responsible for handling and maintaining records (including University email and other electronic records) under University policy and requirements. Emails are records that may contain evidence of official University actions, decisions, approvals, or transactions. Email is subject to statutes of the State of Kansas, KSA 45-401 through 45-414, which applies to preserving and destroying records.
Guidance for creating, managing, archiving, and deleting emails is provided in Email Records Frequently Asked FAQs. Retention periods are listed on the Records Retention Schedule.
Emails to Retain
Emails that contain the following types of information have specific retention periods:
- Policy and procedure directives
- Substantive decisions regarding matters of University business
- Legal, discipline, or audit issues
- Approvals for purchases, HR decisions, and other actions to be taken
- Financial records, including invoices and receipts
- Final reports or recommendations
- Student advising files
- Documentation of departmental/office actions, decisions, operations, and responsibilities
Emails to Delete
The following emails can be deleted:
- Preliminary drafts
- Routine replies/requests for information
- Emails sent as reference or for informational distribution
- Emails used to set up or accept meetings
- Announcements
- Acknowledgments
To learn more about email retention, view the following:
Articles published during Records and Information Management month:
- What is a record?
- How to identify transitory records?
- Data storage guidelines
- Why should I have a retention schedule? Let’s discuss.
If you have any questions about records and information management, contact Ryan Leimkuehler rleimkue@ksu.edu, University Records Manager.
