Records Management

 

Records Management

Your friendly information and records professionals at Heritage Quay can help you to make the most of your information – whether it’s data in systems, filing cabinets or electronic documents.

Managing your information and records effectively

    • Helps you to do your job better and saves time: it supports good customer service and ease and efficiency of working because you can easily share and find the information needed, at the right time.
    • Protects individuals and the University: it provides evidence of people’s rights and entitlements, shows what the University did and why it did it
    • Gives you records you can rely on, by keeping records secure, by helping you to find the authoritative version and by giving records a high value as evidence for audit or in court
    • Reduces costs, particularly in storage space: it helps us not to keep any more records than we have to and to know when we can destroy them
    • Maintains the memory of the University by preserving records of significance

Contact us if you have queries about information and records management - or problems we can help you solve.  We are responsible for the University's Retention and Disposal Schedule, and for providing training and guidance on information management

The University’s official Records Management Policy encompasses the following principles:

    • We will treat information as a valuable resource
    • We are all responsible for information
    • We will maintain quality by keeping records of what we do
    • We will help staff develop key information skills
    • Our information will comply with regulations and legal requirements
    • We will make information appropriately accessible to others

 

University Retention and Disposal Schedule

Records are generated as part of the business activity of the University. They may be in any format, both electronic and paper. The Retention and Disposal Schedule documents the retention periods for University records and information and sets out what should happen at the end of retention periods.

A retention and disposal schedule promotes consistency by ensuring that the same type of record is kept for the same amount of time no matter where the record is held. It

  • promotes control over the University’s records,
  • enables us to dispose confidently of records we no longer need, and
  • ensures the retention of the minimum volume of records consistent with economy and efficiency.

The retention of unnecessary records consumes staff time, space and equipment. It also incurs liabilities in terms of the need to service information requests made under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  All records held in Wisdom have the correct retention & disposal period set against them.

In any dispute it is important that the University is able to demonstrate that normal practice was followed. This Schedule represents normal practice.

The Retention and Disposal Schedule is reviewed every three years, the introduction contains information on implementation, how retention periods are calculated and legislation. If you have a query or have noted an omission, please contact the Record Management Service at recordsmanagement@hud.ac.uk. 

 

Guidance on managing records

To help staff manage and access records, we've added some short helpsheets that cover key principles

Where should my documents go? Which systems should I use?

With many systems in use across the University, it can be tricky to know where you should save different documents and records or where you should look to find them. To help you, this guide outlines what types of documents and records should go in which system.

Where do documents go?

Using Wisdom

Accessibility statement for Wisdom

Electronic Document Record Management System (EDRMS) - WISDOM helpsheets (on campus only)

Web form for creating module boxes in Wisdom

Web form for creating programme boxes in Wisdom

Managing emails

Visit the Email Management web page for top tips about sending emails and reviewing your mailbox

Guidance on managing emails - full text best practice guide

Quick guide to managing your emails, available in 3 formats: Email guidance (A3), Email guidance (A4 double-sided), and Email guidance (A4 one-sided)

General guidance

Advice on naming your files

Checklist for managing information when staff are due to leave

Guidelines for Reviewing Information on Shared and Personal Drives

 

What is Wisdom for?

Position statement on use and development of Wisdom

Wisdom is an Electronic Document and Records Management System used for certain University records. It is not the only system that manages University records; where appropriate, records are/can be managed in other systems, which should be developed with Records Management requirements in mind. (Please contact recordsmanagement@hud.ac.uk for advice.)

Where record types are stored in Wisdom, there should be no duplication and records of those types should not be stored elsewhere (eg student docs should only ever be in Wisdom, not in local SharePoint sites). Where record types are not already stored in Wisdom, there is no requirement that they should be or that Wisdom should be the preferred system – staff are free to identify the most appropriate system, so long as record-keeping needs are met.

Currently, Wisdom is used for:

  • applicant and student records (supporting documents, not data)
  • Health and Safety records
  • some teaching records (handbooks, exams, materials, with specifications soon moving to another system)
  • some quality management records (Collaborative Provision and Subject Reviews, with Validations soon moving to another system)
  • Wisdom's own support documents
  • Committee records

We will continue to maintain, support and develop Wisdom for the record types that are currently stored in it. Where new storage needs arise for other record types, if Wisdom meets all the needs of those particular records and processes, then Wisdom can be developed to include them.

Agreed by Wisdom Steering Group, 02/11/2022

 

Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs)

Before embarking on a new project, proposal or policy, you will need to assess the privacy risks by completing a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA).

The online assessment form can be found on the Data Protection Portal.

For further information on Data Protection, please visit the Data Protection Portal and for Information Security, please visit the Information Security web page.

 

Contact Us

Please get in touch with us with any records or information query - no question too big or too small!

Email: recordsmanagement@hud.ac.uk

The Record Management service works with others across the University who help inform records management policies and procedures. These include our Records Management Champions, nominated staff in each School and Service who support and encourage good records management.