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| Issue 8 – Summer 2012 | ||||
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Records Clean-up Day
As we move into the summer months and catch our breath between the academic terms, now is the time to roll up your sleeves and tackle your records management backlog. Whether you have a central storage area that needs to be cleaned out, file folders that need vetting, or cluttered shared drives to be organized, holding a Records Clean-up Day for your unit is a good way to achieve compliance with the University's Common Records Schedule. What is a Records Clean-up Day? A Records Clean-up Day is a day designated to give staff members the time needed to review and organize their files (both paper and electronic): inactive records can be moved to storage; records that have reached the end of their retention period can be destroyed or transferred to the University Archives. |
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How does a Records Clean-up Day benefit me? Clean-up days give you time to free up valuable space in your filing cabinets, work areas, on the computer network and email mailbox quota. In addition, if you ensure that your records are in proper order, you will eliminate duplication, increase your work productivity and efficiency, minimize legal exposure and comply with legislative and regulatory requirements. What do I do on a Records Clean-up Day?Activities include:
You can wear your jeans, order pizza...make it fun! But make it happen!
Where can I go for additional guidance? If you have questions about hosting a Clean-up Day, contact us at the Information & Privacy Office. You can also find additional guidelines at the following online resources:
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to topDates and Date Formats in Electronic Files: Do’s and Don’ts Microsoft Word’s Automatic Date ChangeIt’s handy to use the automatic date change feature when you’re working on a template or letter you re-use frequently. Microsoft Word will automatically update the date in your document so you won’t have to, and you can specify the language and format for the date before inserting it. However, the automatic date function can cause recordkeeping problems once you have filed the letter in electronic form, since the date updates itself every time you re-open the letter. One user comments: “I get very frustrated when I open a letter or memo file and today's date pops up. Usually I can figure out when it was done by the date it was saved, but if it is opened and accidentally saved again, there is no way of knowing the real date unless you have access to a paper copy." So not only can it be difficult to accurately date the document, if you don’t know precisely when a document was prepared and sent, other risks may emerge that relate to accountability, workflow, retention and disposition requirements for the document(s) in question. So – as a best practice, avoid using the automatic date change function. Instead, include a placeholder for the date, and insert the correct date each time you prepare a new letter from a form or template. Date Format: Which is Best?If you’re using a date somewhere in your file name, always format the date ‘back to front’ and use four digit years, two digit months and two digit days: YYYYMMDD or YYYYMM or YYYY or YYYY-YYYY, for consistency and transparency. Consistently dating files in this order removes confusion as to which number is the year, the month and the day. In certain cases it may help to begin the file name with the date, to keep related files together in your file list. This is especially useful for recurring events such as meetings. In the examples below, the left column file names are consistent and will sort in the order shown. The problematic file names on the right will sort inconsistently, and it will be difficult to determine the exact date referred to in some files.
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As an institution under the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, York University must provide access to its records when requested, subject to specific and limited exemptions and exclusions. Anyone may request access to a general record, while individuals may request access to their own personal information. The Information and Privacy Office receives requests and coordinates responses with the cooperation of administrative units and faculties which must search for, and produce, responsive records. Universities were brought under FIPPA on 10 June 2006. As of 31 December 2011, York University has responded to 125 requests as described below.
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| FIPPA Training Now Part of Onboarding at York
FIPPA training is now part of the Onboarding for Managers and Onboarding for Staff series of learning opportunities offered through Human Resources and Employee Relations. The workshop sessions, Understanding FIPPA and Your Role, have been designed to give you an overview of what you need to know when faced with an access to information request, and will cover the do’s and don’t’s for ensuring that personal information is collected, used and disclosed in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Please visit the York Employee Learning Calendar (YELC) for session dates and registration. Records and Information Management DiscussionsAfter your training, you can continue to discuss issues related to FIPPA and other records and information management topics with colleagues across the University on the Records Management listserv, YORK-RECMGMT-L. To subscribe, send an email to LISTSERV@YORKU.CA with the words SUBSCRIBE YORK-RECMGMT-L in the body of the message. For more information, see http://www.yorku.ca/ipo/RecMgmt/recmgmtlistserv.html. |
The IPO Newsletter is published by the Information and Privacy Office — info.privacy@yorku.ca, 1050 York Research Tower |