Retention and disposal

We keep the right information for Monash and the wider community.

Essential information must be retained while required and then appropriately disposed of in accordance with Monash University standards and external obligations.

A proportion of all information will be retained in the Monash University Archives, constituting the organisation’s captured corporate memory. While it is retained, it must be managed in such a way as to be recoverable in the event of loss on a timescale consistent with university requirements.

Keeping the right information for Monash

Monash’s ninth Information Management principle addresses the retention and disposal of information with the statement ‘We keep the right information for Monash and the wider community’.

In practical terms how can we meet this goal?

There are several questions to ask when deciding how to deal with information. This helps us identify who the information belongs to which in turn determines when and why it will be retained or disposed of. We then apply our own judgement based on knowledge of the functions of our area on a case-by-case basis.

Is the information personal and has no link to your work?

In this case you can retain or dispose of the information in any way you prefer.

Does the information belong to your workgroup?

If it does, you need to make a business decision based on your workgroup’s agreed processes for retention and disposal. This information might include working papers, drafts, requests for stationery and leave. You are able to make this decision based on your knowledge of your area’s functions.
Since your workgroup’s information may be bound by legal or other regulations imposed from outside of Monash (for instance if you are representing Monash as a member of an association or research group), you need to take these rules into consideration before disposing or retaining.

Is the workgroup information evidence of a transaction undertaken for university business and therefore a workgroup record that may become part of a corporate record in future?

If it is, take into account that someone else might need to find the information, so clearly label and store it according to your workgroup guidelines. Once again your knowledge of the functions of your area helps you make that decision. You also may need to consider the value of keeping information for specific purposes such as historical reasons, for instance innovative ideas such as when, why and how stem cell research began.

Does the information belong to Monash’s corporate records – HR, finance etc?

If it does, you will need to use the LOCATE classification to label the information and decide where and how long this will be kept. To help staff manage these records a Records Disposal Authority  has been formulated. The Authority indicates how long particular records must be kept. Assistance with using the Disposal Authority is available from the University Archives.

Retention and disposal is about ensuring that information is preserved appropriately.