Packing & Transferring Records for Storage

  • file cabinet icon Carefully reviewing, categorizing, and indexing your records are critical to the success of any records management program. Moreover, following established guidelines can increase efficiency by disposing of out-of-date items that are not records and storing records requiring retention off-site until they can be destroyed.

    Records packed for storage are to be processed in compliance with the WPS record retention guidelines below. They must be reviewed, assigned a record series code, and the retention period must be determined according to Library of Virginia record retention requirements. Afterwards, they shoud be packed in special storage boxes, properly labeled, and stored in a secure, cool, dry place until the destruction date.

Records Responsibility

  • WPS Records Management acts only as custodians of the records. The originating school/department retains primary responsibility of records stored in the Records Center and is responsible for completing and submitting a Certificate of Records Destruction when it is time to destroy stored records.

    File storage boxes

Steps for Preparing Records for Storage

  • STEP 1: Identify Non-Active Records Eligible for Storage 

    • Active and vital records should remain with you. The Library of Virginia defines a vital record as “a record containing information essential to re-establish or continue an organization in the event of a disaster. Vital records comprise the records necessary to recreate the organization's legal and financial status and to determine the rights and obligations of employees, customers, stockholders, and citizens.”
    • Records must be identified by a record series code which identifies the series and retention period in accordance with the Virginia General Schedules. See the WPS Records Retention Schedule for the records series code. Visit the State General Schedules section of the Library of Virginia's website to locate all of the records retention schedules for the State of Virginia.

    STEP 2: Obtain Record Center Boxes

    • Contact Ed Smith, WPS Records Officer, to obtain the appropriate boxes for packing records.
    • Records must be boxed correctly. They should be packed in NEW records storage boxes with lids.
    • For satety reasons, WPS record retention boxes are the only type of box in which records can be stored. Do not use any other type of box, such as boxes without lids, smaller boxes, copy paper boxes, or larger boxes, including moving boxes. Non-standard boxes will be returned to you to re-pack.

    STEP 3: Pack Your Boxes

    • When packing your boxes, you may include records containing staples, paper clips, and spiral notebooks. These can be shredded. You may not include multi-hole binders or three-ring binders. These cannot be shredded, and the records must be removed from the binders before packing.
    • Do not put hanging files in boxes unless they are laid horizontally in the box. They CANNOT be hung on the sides of the storage box, as they tear the box, as well as the hands of the personnel handling them.
    • Do not include non-record materials such as magazines, reference books, newspapers, blank forms, or excess stock of publications.
    • Multiple year's worth of a particular record series may be packed in one box, provided each year's worth of records is clearly labeled with the destruction date.
    • TEACHERS: Every classroom should have a green expandable folder. On the outside of each folder is a list of items that cannot be thrown away. The items consist of notes between parents and teachers, tardy passes, etc. They must be retained for the academic year and secure shred during the summer by your Records Retention Officer. If you have any questions please contact her at the Central Administration Office, extension 14142.

    STEP 4: Label Your Boxes

    • Complete a WPS Records Retention Label for each box and affix it to the short side of the box so the labels will be clearly visible. For Special Education records, the label should be copied onto pink paper. For all other records, use yellow paper.
    • On boxes filled with shreds, please attach a green shred label to the short side of the box.

    STEP 5: Student Record Storage

    • The WPS Records Center is located at Douglas Community Learning Center (DCLC). Properly packed and labeled boxes are picked up, taken to this facility, and stored until the shred date. Any boxes you wish to keep throughout the fiscal year MUST be stored in a secure location at your school/building until shred.