Important Guidelines for Records Destruction
March 16, 2007
TO: Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, and Administrators
FROM: Patrick V. Farrell, Provost
Privacy concerns and recent legislative proposals have placed increased emphasis on the appropriate destruction of records and information. HIPAA, FERPA and recent proposals to limit the use of and access to SSN numbers are but a few of the legislative mandates that impact University records. It is important that University departments employ sound records management techniques including appropriate records disposal and destruction practices.
To provide guidance to departments about appropriate destruction of records, the University Archives and Records Management Service (ARMS) has prepared a brief publication on records destruction. It includes information about legal requirements, confidential records, electronic records, appropriate destruction methods for various storage media, and a checklist to determine appropriate destruction methods. The appendix contains the UW–Madison Records Destruction Guidelines.
The publication is available from the ARMS Web site as “Records Disposition and Destruction.”
Please share this memo with individuals in your unit and encourage them to read the Records Destruction Guidelines. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact ARMS at recmgmt@library.wisc.edu.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.