Records Management

University Policy 4.7 Retention of University Records outlines appropriate records retention management practices. Records that are determined to be of enduring value and are transferred to the Cornell University Archives will be preserved and made available to researchers.

Electronic documents

An electronic document (e.g., email, cloud-based documents, etc.) is considered a university record and is subject to the same retention period as the hard copy equivalent if the electronic document is created or received in the transaction of business; retained as evidence of official policies/decisions; and/or has historical significance or valuable informational content.

It is the responsibility of the sender/recipient to determine if a particular email message constitutes a university record.

Email messages that require long-term retention should be either retained electronically on retrievable media or printed, including all header and transmission information, and filed with their electronic or paper equivalents by the sender/recipient.

In a court of law, liability can become involved when such documents (paper or electronic) are not available to be provided. Be aware that your decision to retain or destroy an e-mail message may become an issue in a court situation.

University Archives

The University Archives is part of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections located in Kroch Library. The Archives collects and preserves records of historical, legal, fiscal and/or administrative value to Cornell University.

Visit the University Archives webpage to learn more about what the Archives collects and how to donate or transfer records, including faculty papers and records of student organizations. You can also learn more about how to view materials in the Archives.

Contact universityarchives [at] cornell.edu (universityarchives[at]cornell[dot]edu) for a records transfer form for official university records or other agreement form for faculty or personal papers.