Managing Public Records

for Local Government Agencies

E-mail Management

 (The following section may be modified by the provisions of Executive Order No. 18 ["E-Mail Retention and Archiving Policy"], signed by Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue on July 7, 2009. Consult your county legal department. To learn more about Executive Order No. 18, and about guidelines and policies for e-mail retention, follow the links in the Learn More sidebar.)

Electronic mail is just as much a record as any traditional paper record, and its content must be treated in the same way.  It is the content of each message that is important.  If a particular message would have been filed as a paper memo, it should still be filed (either in your email program or in your regular directory structure), and it should be retained the same length of time as its paper counterparts.  It is inappropriate to destroy email simply because storage limits have been reached.

Three of our publications will be particularly helpful (available online at http://www.records.ncdcr.gov/default.htm):

• E-Mail as a Public Record in North Carolina: Guidelines for its Retention and Disposition
• E-Mail User Guidelines Checklist
• North Carolina Public Records with Short-Term Value: Guidelines for their Retention and Disposition

Transitory and Personal E-mail

E-mail can frequently be used to send both personal messages and transitory work-related messages. Personal messages to fellow colleagues about lunch plans are not considered public records and should not be saved.  (IMPORTANT: see below, "Proper Management of E-mail.")Transitory work-related messages should also not be retained for a long period of time.   Examples of transitory e-mails include:

• "While you were out" messages
• Publications (that your office did not create)
• Duplicate Messages (mass e-mailings from your HR department)

The only exception is that some e-mail messages contain both personal and business-related information; if this is the case, these e-mail messages must be managed as a public record, according to the records schedule. Personal correspondence using government e-mail should be kept to a minimum and organized separately from business-related correspondence.   See e-mail checklist.

IT's Role

IT is responsible for the computing infrastructure and for the receipt, storage, and transmission of e-mail.  IT is also responsible for system maintenance, including:

• Software
• Storage
• Back-ups

 As a records custodian, you are responsible for records management, including:

• Assessing and classifying
• Distributing
• Filing
• Disposing of or retaining records

Proper Management of E-mail

Properly managing your e-mail includes:

• Acting on business correspondence
• Manage your e-mail in a timely way
• Follow your records schedule: 
• Manage and file your e-mail electronically
• Destroy outdated records routinely
• Destroy electronic and paper records at the same time
• Ensure security
• Avoid using e-mail (e-mail systems are usually insecure) to transmit confidential information
• Destroy records in a secure manner, especially e-mail with confidential information
• Consult your IT department regarding any questions in this area

Match the subject line of an e-mail with the value of the message or the reason for saving it in this short quiz:

 

Value: 1

Match the items. a b c d e f 1. Request for leave- approved     a. Formal communication a b c d e f 2. New Leave Policy     b. Research Data a b c d e f 3. Joke of the day     c. Approval or Authorization a b c d e f 4. Salary Increase- Let's Talk     d. Policy Change a b c d e f 5. NSF Grant Survey Results     e. Negotiations a b c d e f 6. March staff meeting minutes     f. This e-mail has no value

 

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