Beginning December 1, 2026, the University of Idaho will no longer maintain a centralized records management program. Responsibility for records management and retention is decentralized, with each department or unit accountable for managing its own records in accordance with retention requirements.
Records currently stored in the Records Center shall remain housed within the Records Center. Such records shall be available for transfer back to the originating department upon request and in accordance with established procedures. No new records will be accepted by the Records Center.
As retention periods expire and approved destruction dates are reached, eligible records in the Records Center will be destroyed in accordance with records retention requirements. Permanent records will remain in the Records Center or be transferred to Library Archives for long-term preservation.
The University Library’s Special Collections and Archives is the campus unit designated as the custodian of archival material; it is the depository for any unit that does not maintain its own archive. APM 65.02 defines “archival record” as an inactive record that has permanent or historic value and is not required to be retained in the office in which it was originally generated. FSH 1470 offers a non-exhaustive definition of those records worthy of preservation in the university’s archive: all official publications of the university or unit (these documents are also subject to the State of Idaho's state depository law), pictures documenting the people or activities of the university or unit, records documenting significant changes in people or activities of the university or unit. Storage limitations and staff capacity require that all possible additions to the University Archive be carefully evaluated for enduring value and institutional significance. Units preparing to remove records from their active files are encouraged to consult the Library’s archives donation webpage for further guidance and should reach out directly to the department (libspec@uidaho.edu) to discuss any potential transfer in advance.
For more information please see:
State Board of Education – Higher Education Records Retention Schedule
https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Education_Higher_Ed_Records_Book_0.pdf
You may also contact the Department of Record for specific retentions; HR for employee records, EOR for search files, Payroll...
All records involving faculty - please contact the Provost's Office.
SHREDDING SERVICE
Iron Mountain will continue to do regularly scheduled pickups for shredding. The current schedule is posted in the attached documents on this page. Iron Mountain will only take requests from their approved contact list. If you have a special request please submit a service request to OIT.
For additional boxes to be shredded see the Extra Box Label in the attached documents on this page. Submit a service request with the number of boxes being added so we can alert Iron Mountain.