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Archives & Special Collections (ASC)

Records Management: Destruction of Records

Information on how and for how long University of Louisville records should be retained.

Destroying Records in Your Office

When records have met their retention requirements as determined by the State University records retention schedule, they should be destroyed if no litigation, investigation, claim, audit, or other official action involving the records has been initiated. Under no circumstances may employees permit the destruction or loss of records, whether in electronic or hard copy, if the employee has any reason to believe that the records are related to any current or imminent official action.

Under no circumstances may employees permit the destruction or loss of records, whether in electronic or hard copy, if the employee has any reason to believe that the records are related to any current or imminent official action.

Once non-permanent records are eligible to be destroyed, contact the University Archives and Records Center (UARC) to request a Records Destruction Certificate. A Destruction Certificate lists the types, volume, and date range of the records that are ready to be destroyed. This document is required under state policy and provides the University with documentation that the materials were properly and legally destroyed.

Note that hard copy and electronic records containing confidential information should be destroyed in such a way that the metadata are unlinked and the information contained therein cannot be practicably read or reconstructed.

Contact Us

If you have any records management questions, please contact (502) 852-8789 or send us an email.

Destroying Records Held by the University Archives and Records Center

UARC coordinates periodic destruction for non-permanent records that have met their retention requirements. If your office has transferred records that are eligible to be destroyed per the State University records retention schedule, you will be contacted and permission will be secured before any records are shredded. Records destruction must not be approved if any litigation, claim, audit, or other official action involving the records has been initiated. Note that UARC does not dictate who approves the destruction; it is up to the office of origin to designate signatory authority.

The request for permission to destroy non-permanent records held by UARC will include an estimate cost base upon the University's current contract for shredding services. The shredding vendor, Shred-It, will invoice your office for the service.