IM60 – Information Collection Management [DRAFT] | University Records Management

Records of the lifecycle management of information collections, from creation or acquisition until final disposition.

Content & Scope

University information collections are predominantly published information resources for teaching, learning, and research managed by the University Library and University records created and used by all units, whose management is governed by Policy 46 – Information Management. Other collections consist of archival materials, artifacts and other objects of scholarly interest used in teaching and research, managed by the University’s archival repositories, galleries, and museums. Units may also acquire or gain access to collections of proprietary information whose use and management are governed by contracts/agreements with the owners of IP rights for the information. Information collections are a mix of analogue and digital formats, with digital collections either stored and managed on-premises in University information systems or hosted externally by service providers.

Information collection management follows a lifecycle: creation, or selection and acquisition; organization, storage, use, and maintenance (including retrieval and dissemination to users); review and assessment of the continuing usefulness of the information to the University; and, disposal or destruction of information no longer needed by the University, or long-term preservation of information assets of continuing or permanent value. Similar lifecycles describe the management of collections of artifacts, art and other objects, so records of their management are included within this records class.

This class excludes: financial and legal records for the acquisition of information assets or collections owned by the University; contracts/agreements associated with collections of proprietary information; and, records of service interactions with collection users (e.g., library patrons).

For University records management, the records include: information inventories and classification schemes; record-keeping metadata in information systems and associated data definitions or dictionaries; records of offsite/commercial storage; and, documentation of final disposition or destruction of records (e.g., records destruction forms). For other information collections, this class includes records of acquisition or licensing, accessioning, cataloguing/indexing, maintenance, weeding, preservation and repair of information assets and collections, and the development and management of services to collection users.

Related Records

For procedures and other guidance for University community members, including the University records classification & retention schedules, see AD40 – Policies, Procedures, & Guidelines.
For contracts and agreements, see AD80 – Contracts & Agreements.
For financial records of purchases or other fee payments for, see FN12 – Accounts Payable.
For records of individual information collections users, see IM70 – Information Collection Users.

Responsible Unit

University Library.
Other units maintaining information collections within the scope of this records class.
All units, for records of their management of University records.

Information Steward

University Librarian, for records of University Library collection management.
The relevant information steward for the functional area of administration (consult the directory of information stewards for more information), for records of the management of University records and other information collections by units within the functional area.

Information Confidentiality Classification

Public: publicly available information resource catalogues/indexes (e.g., library catalogs), promotional information on services to information users, and, other records intended for public release.
Confidential: all other records.

Retention

Records documenting the destruction of University records: 7 years.
All other records: minimum of 2 years after last administrative use (including the expiry of contract terms and conditions), and then until superseded or obsolete. Units should document the specific retention periods within this range that they are using for their records. Contact the University Records Manager for assistance, if required.

Disposition

Secure destruction.

Note

Responsible Units should document the disposal/destruction of official records using the University records destruction form or equivalent documentation, to verify that we are following our records retention rules.

Authority

Policy 46 – Information Management.
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31.
Canadian General Standards Board. CAN/CGSB—72.34—Electronic records as documentary evidence.

Retention Rationale

Retention is based on operational use, requirements under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to implement measures ensuring the preservation of records and to document the destruction of records at the end of their retention period, and best practices for managing organizational records in the Canadian General Standards Board standard, CAN/CGSB-72.34 – Electronic records as documentary evidence.

Under Review Date

11 June 2020