Directory of University Records
DUR Overview

The Directory of University Records (DUR) was first created by the SFU Archives and Records Management Department in 2000, embodying the idea that SFU's records constitute one of the university's key resources and that its record-keeping systems should be as effective, reliable and transparent as possible.

SFU's records constitute its historical, corporate memory. Records document the university's decisions and actions and exist in a variety of media: paper, electronic, graphic, audio-visual. They provide the evidence that the university community needs for:

• administrative and academic planning, review and evaluation;
• accountability of university officers and employees;
• legal defense of the university in the event of disputes; and
• historical research from primary sources.

Well-managed records ensure that:

• information for any of these purposes can be quickly identified, located and retrieved;
• records are authentic, reliable and accessible;
• records of long-term value are identified and regularly transferred to Archives for permanent preservation;
• records of short-term value are identified and routinely destroyed when no longer needed for current business;
• SFU's record-keeping practices comply with existing legal statutes;
• the public's right of access to information in university records is efficiently administered; and
• the privacy rights of record subjects are protected.

DUR was created by SFU's Archives and Records Management Department as part of our effort to promote the sound management and effective use of the university's records. We foresee three principle user groups who can benefit from DUR:

• Administrative staff who create, manage or use university records in the course of their jobs.
• Record subjects who appear in the university's records as a result of their interactions with the university.
• Researchers interested in the university's historical records as sources of information and evidence on any number of topics.

Administrative staff

DUR is primarily intended as a tool to help university staff better manage their department's records.

The Records Retention Schedules and Disposal Authorities (RRSDAs) contained in the DUR provide standards for file classification and retention. They enable university departments to free up office and file-cabinet space by establishing a time-table for regularly moving semi-active records to the University Records Centre (URC) for secure, off-site storage. RRSDAs promote onsistent practice across campus by basing retention on the records' administrative, fiscal, legal, audit and historical research value.

DUR also includes a model file classification plan departments can adapt to their own needs.

Record subjects

DUR will help applicants requesting access to information under B.C.'s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act by enabling them to focus their requests and thus speed processing.

Individuals can use the descriptions in the Personal Information Directory (PID) to locate the Personal Information Banks (PIBs) created at SFU. PIB description incidate what kinds of personal information SFU maintains about what kinds of individuals, in which records series it is contained, where the records are located, which university officers have access to it, and to which office(s) one should apply to initiate requests for access to the records. A link from the PIB to the applicable RRSDA enables users to further determine the records' total retention period and final disposition.

Researchers

DUR can help researchers determine whether or not the information and records they are looking for are likely to exist within the university's archival holdings.

DUR provides a kind of map to the universe of recorded information created and maintained by SFU. RRSDAs and PIBs include descriptions of the purposes and uses of different record series, the types of documents and personal information contained in them, which departments created the records, how long they retain them, their final disposition (destroyed or transferred to Archives for permanent preservation), and the rationale for this appraisal decision. Using the DUR in conjunction with our Online finding aids to archival holdings, researchers can better plan and prepare for their visit to the university Archives.

Last updated: May 6, 2010