Records

What is a University Record?

The Ohio Revised Code Section 149.011(G) and University Policy 5-15.1(B)(1) describe a record as follows:

• any document, device, or item, regardless of physical form or characteristic;
• created or received by, or coming under the jurisdiction of, any public office of the state or its political subdivisions;
• which serves to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the office.

A non-record is any document, device, or item that does not meet the definition above.  Non-records may be destroyed at any time. The following are unlikely to be considered records:

• personal correspondence
• non-university publications
• Listserv® materials
• junk mail/spam
• catalogs
• journals, books, other library materials
• faculty papers (Faculty papers are generally the property of the faculty member and not the university; as such, they are not university records.  However, in some cases, the archivist may be interested in collecting faculty papers.)*