Documenting Davidson College - Records Management

Records of the college that are stored electronically (whether they are born digital, received, or maintained in this form) should not be maintained only on removable storage media such as external or USB drives or local hard drives or desktops. Better storage options are network drives, College-procured Cloud storage, and content management systems.

Format for Individual Records and Folders

Meaningful Names: Folder and document names should help identify the contents and reflect the functions and actions.  Please avoid using vague terms such as “Misc.”  Whatever options are chosen, the conventions should be documented and used consistently.

Dates: For example, dates of minutes and agendas, use one of the following formats,  yyyymmdd or yyyy-mm-dd. If the date is listed first, it’s easy to sort materials chronologically, especially when you’re looking for something.

Role or Positions: Often, it is better to name a document or folder based on the role rather than personal names. For example, a file labeled "VPAA Committee" is easier to find years later than one labeled "SmithBR Committee."  

Names: If the author is especially important or a way to distinguish a file or folder, write the last name of a person, followed by 2 initials, if possible, such as FoxAR_Memo .

Numbers: Use at least two digits when using a number in a title to keep the documents and folders in numerical order, e.g. use 01 instead of 1.  If you are unsure how many leading digits you should use, determine the number of related files you might create with the same file name. For every 100 files, add a leading zero (e.g. if you create 1000 files, your numbering scheme should start with 0001).

Versions: Some documents go through a number of stages. Where applicable, it is important to differentiate between these,    e.g. 2016_ECM_Minutes_draft,  2016_ECM_Minutes_final, or versions 1, 2, 3 indicated by v01, 02, 03.

 

Extra Tips for Individual Records and Folders

Avoid the use of  certain symbols, such as ~ " # % & * : < > ? / \ { | }. , since the computer may misinterpret the symbol. Hyphens and underscores are encouraged.

Use hyphens or underscores to separate words  instead of periods, spaces, or commas.  For example, use “Business _Services” instead of “Business Services.” When converting or migrating files, spaces in file names create extra characters; the new title becomes Business20%Services20%.  Avoiding spaces will help keep file names shorter and avoiding commas and periods will confuse the computer less.

Avoid repetition and redundant words in folder and file names.

Avoid using acronyms or abbreviations, if at all possible and especially if they are not common to most people.  If you have to use an acronym, create a ReadMe document that explains the term. 

Do not use words that are excluded from searches  such as if, but, so, for, etc.

Avoid using articles such as the, a, an, unless the article is part of a proper noun.

If possible keep the document and file name short but with an accurate description of the material.  Some operating systems and software have a limited number of characters so try to limit to 200 characters or fewer.  

 

Organization of Records and Folders  

The overall organization of digital files and folders mirrors the organization of physical files.

If there are more than 3 related files, it would be advantageous to create a folder.

If possible, create folders that refer to a single topic or have a common purpose or format e.g. financial, Orientation 2022.

Create a hierarchy of folders using sub-folders for specific time periods or types of records e.g. Financial folder and sub-folder Budget or Correspondence,  sub-folder Department Name Change 

If possible, do not keep the same file in multiple folders.

Keep reference and personal materials separately from official records.

If possible, each year, create a spreadsheet that lists the folder name, description, a couple of keywords, plus bulk start and end date of the content.

If possible, each year review file folders and close most at the end of the year.  If there are numerous drafts and working copies, eliminate those wherever feasible.    

Open new file folders in the new year and bring forward only the material that is still active.

 

Specific Examples

Accounting Records and records of specific financial transactions	Payroll Records
Active Faculty and Academic Staff Personnel Files	Personnel Evaluations
Association and Organization Files (not related to or affiliated with Davidson College)	Preliminary drafts of correspondence, memos, and internal notes that do not reflect significant steps or changes in the final document
Bank and Financial Statements	Published Statutes, Laws, Regulations, etc.
Benefit Records	Purchasing Records including Purchase Orders and IDOs
Bills and Receipts	Readers Files
Blank forms and unused printed or duplicated materials	Rejected or Not-funded Grant Proposals and Files
Budget Files (Working Papers)	Replies to questionnaires if the results are recorded and preserved either in a summary and shared with the Archives or in a published report
Cash-Books, Day-Books, and Cash-Journals	Reprints (Non-faculty, staff or alumni and Non-college Publications)
Checks	Routine correspondence that does not show any significant activity of the area or department including correspondence for request, transmittal and acknowledgement, if the correspondence does not add any information to the transmitted material.
Duplicate Copies	Staff Personnel Files
Employment Application Files	Student Records
Employment Eligibility Verification Records	Teaching Evaluation Records (unless part of promotion or tenure dossiers)
Equipment Inventory or Purchasing Files	Time and Attendance Records or Reports
Exams and Term Papers	Unsolicited Job Application Files
Grade Books and Rolls	Vouchers
Grievance Files (Personnel)	Warrantees and Guarantees
Invoices	Warrants
Leave Records	Work papers, drafts of reports, worksheets and other documents which have been published or of which there is a final copy in the archives
Mail and Phone Logs
Medical Records
Operating Manuals (Equipment)