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Records Retention Retention Requirements THE RETENTION DECISION PROCESS When making the decision about how long to keep each record type, four things should be considered about the nature and use of the record type: Does the record fill any fiscal need? Records that fill a fiscal need should be kept only as long as required to maintain the budget and satisfy any tax requirements. Does the record fill any legal need? Records that fill legal needs should be kept as long as the specific legal issue exists. In some cases, federal requirements mandate keeping the records for a stated period following the caseÃs resolution. Does the record fill any administrative need? Records that fill an administrative need should how the organization functioned and evolved. They may document membership, explain policy decisions, trace the development of programs, etc. Records with short-term value such as routine correspondence, files documenting travel arrangements, etc., can be discarded once their function is met. Does the record fill any historic need? Keep records that fill historic needs permanently. Make efforts to ensure their preservation (see the last section). These support the collection memory of the organization and serve as a resource for Presbyterian history and the wide history of Christian life and mission in the world. Sometimes records will fill needs in more than one area. In the case where a record fills two needs and one of them is historic, the record should be kept permanently.   DEFINING TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT RECORDS Once you have established retention periods for all of the different types of records, you can reduce storage cost and improve access by identifying and storing records according to the category and the nature of each record in the category. There are two record categories: Temporary records Permanent records Both record categories have records with the following characteristics: Active Inactive Vital Temporary Records -- Active Active temporary records are used frequently, such as the current yearÃs expense reports or accounts receivable records. These records have no historic value. Store these records in the office only while they are used daily or weekly. Temporary Records -- Inactive Non-current temporary records are used infrequently, but must be kept for a limited time period (for I.R.S. or other requirements). These records can be weeded out of the "active" office files and stored in a less busy and costly space (e.g. storeroom or warehouse). Label them clearly, indicating their content and when they can be discarded. Temporary Records -- Vital Vital temporary records are those that are essential for the operation of your synod or presbytery. If the records were destroyed or lost, the office would be unable to operate until the records are recovered or recreated. If these records are not microfilmed, they should be stored in a location protected from theft, fire, water damage, or any other type of potential disaster. Permanent Records -- Active These records contain information of permanent value, but they are also used frequently, such as current minutes or annual reports. A copy of these records can be filed in the current files, or the whole record can be microfilmed and the film used as the office reference copy. The originals should be in an area protected from fire, flood, theft, or any other type of damage. Permanent Records -- Inactive These records possess historic, or legal value, but are not used frequently. They should not be stored in an active area, but in an area that encourages long term preservation as much as possible (see preservation section). Permanent Records -- Vital These records are permanently valuable and are essential for the church to function. They should be stored in an area protected from theft, fire, water r any other potential type of damage. Baptismal records are an example of these types of records.

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