• Maintain your records properly and you will spend less time looking for misplaced documents.  Filing records regularly makes them accessible and improves office efficiency and productivity.
• How do employees know which records to keep?  Records have either temporary or permanent value. Permanent records have historical or other value that warrants continued preservation by the Federal Government. Temporary records have limited retention periods and may be destroyed only in accordance with established procedures and appropriate approvals.
• How long should employees keep records?  When maintaining, transferring, or destroying your records, make sure you are applying appropriate retention by following the instructions of the DOE records schedules.
• Email records count too!  Electronic documents, data systems and e-mail messages can be Federal records also and are governed by the same regulations as paper records. Electronic records should be maintained in an approved electronic records management application.
• Remember to keep your personal and non-record materials separately.  Do not file your personal records and non-record material in the same location as DOE records.
• If you are uncertain of how long a record must be retained, consult the Records Manager in your organization.  Not sure who to contact?  Check our list (pdf)
• If you are relocating to a new organization, consider transferring eligible permanent records to the National Archives and free up some space!  Find the procedures here.
• As a contractor are you unsure as to how records regulations apply to you? With few exceptions, as a DOE contractor, the records you create or receive while performing work for DOE are also Federal records and are subject to Government regulations.
• Leave Your Legacy!!  If you are planning on retiring or leaving DOE follow these simple steps: 1) Identify all Federal records in your possession, 2) Reassign records to a records management custodian or another employee, 3) Identify personal papers and non-record copies for removal, 4) Return repository records, 5) Turn in file cabinet keys, computer system passwords, and vault/restricted area combinations.
  

Last Reviewed: 10/10/2008