Guidelines for Discarding Records

Records identified in general or specific records disposition schedules for discard may be disposed of on site without any further consultation with the Archives. Please note that records bearing sensitive personal information (e.g., social security numbers, credit card numbers), should be destroyed either by tearing, shredding, or other methods which suitably obliterate the sensitive information. If it is not practical to shred records with sensitive information on-site, they may be transferred to the Archives' Records Center for destruction. Electronic records containing sensitive information should be sent directly to the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) for destruction in accordance with established OCIO guidelines for the destruction of sensitive media documented in IT-960-TN15 Disposal of Electronic Media (see http://prism.si.edu/ocio/policy/policyTN.htm).

Before discarding any records NOT identified in a disposition schedule, contact the Archives at (202) 633-5870. An SIA archivist will conduct an over-the-phone or on-site appraisal of your records to determine whether the records should be permanently maintained in the archives, temporarily stored in the Records Center, or discarded immediately.

Any records transferred to the Archives' Records Center for temporary storage will be maintained until a scheduled date of destruction. The Records Management (RM) Team will notify an office after the destruction has taken place, unless otherwise instructed. The office should notify the RM Team immediately of any possible or pending investigations or legal actions that might bear upon the records. This includes any investigations or legal actions to which an office is only a third party. Upon notification, SIA will immediately suspend the destruction of any records that may be considered useful to investigative or court proceedings.