Staff resources

Sending boxed paper records for storage or retrieving a file from storage.

If you have never organized paper files to send to the University Records Centre (URC) before:

Begin with the introductory information about the Records Management Program.

Access file management information for your department through the Directory of University Records.

If you need to refresh your memory on the correct procedure:

Read the procedure for transferring paper records and/or digital records or the procedure for retrieving records. Note that the University Records Centre (URC) is not the same as the University Archives and retrieval processes are different.

Organizing, retaining and disposing of departmental files

If you are seeking advice and support on organizing your paper and digital files:

• Visit the Records Management Program pages;
• Review the Model File Classification Plan; this can be applied to organizing both paper and electronic records.
  
• Familiarize yourself with the Records Retention Schedule and Disposal Authorities (RRSDAs), or simply "Retention Schedules". These provide guidance on which records you should keep and how long you must keep them for.

If you are seeking advice for managing and archiving your digital files:

• see DR@SFU, the new digital repository project that is under development by SFU Archives.
• contact the Records Managment Archivist for advice and recommendations for managing and archiving your digital records.
  

If you are looking for technical tools to simplify file management:

• There is a Filemaker database that is designed to assist with printing file labels. If you are interested in getting a copy of this database, contact the Records Management Archivist.
  

Compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)

If you are trying to organize your records to be compliant with FIPPA:

Because university records can be subject to a Freedom of Information request under Provincial Law, departments should prepare and organize their records so that they are in compliance with the law. The Archives and Records Management Department provides training resources to staff looking to improve their compliance with FIPPA. You should also consult the Personal Information Directory (PID) to review what personal information is stored and how it should be handled.

If your department has recived a Freedom of Information request:

Contact the Information and Privacy Officer to determine what steps to take. For additional resources, see the FIPPA section.

Staff training resources

Courses are occasionally offered to staff through the SFU Human Resources department. Handouts and exercises for these courses are available for reference and download.

Records Management Training Materials

FIPPA Training Resources

Consulting archival records

University records are subject to a prescribed final disposition according to the RRSDA. For some records, the schedule prescribes that they should be permanently transfered to the University Archives. At this point, the department no longer owns the records and they instead become the property of the Archives. In order to access departmental records which have been permanently transfered to the Archives, it is necessary to apply to see the records using the process which applies to all researchers wishing to access archival material.

In order to locate and access archival records, you may want to review the process for accessing the Archives and refer to SFU AtoM in order to identify the records you wish to see.