MARK AREND 18 OCTOBER 2012 PUBLIC RECORDS AND RECORDS RETENTION

TODAY’S TOPICS Wisconsin Public Records Law Wisconsin Statutes, §19:21-39 What is a record What is and isn’t available for public viewing Library records policies Records retention—how long do I have to keep this stuff? Tagging files Disposal of records

DO YOUR FILES LOOK LIKE THIS?

PUBLIC RECORDS LAW Defines what a record is Requires public access And lists exceptions Governs record disposal Is binding upon all state & local government bodies or agencies

WHAT IS A PUBLIC RECORD? Almost anything a government agency creates or receives Reports, correspondence, statistics, meeting documents, photos Records in all formats (paper, computer file, video or audio recording, ) are covered under this law

WHAT ISN’T? General library materials (books, magazines, etc.) Routing slips & envelopes Unsolicited material you have received (junk mail) Duplicate copies Duplicate copies of library records Copies other government agencies have sent to the library Personal property Records and correspondence of state legislators

PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS Almost all records and documents of governmental agencies must be available for inspection and copying by the public Applies only to existing records—no requirement to create new records or reports No “magic words” needed in a records request

EXCLUDED RECORDS NOT AVAILABLE FOR ACCESS Records that identify users of library materials, resources, or services ◦ Wisconsin Statutes, 43:30 Certain personnel records Notes, drafts, etc. prepared for staff use All of these are subject to court order, however.

LIBRARY RECORDS POLICIES Public records policy Legal custodian Availability of records Records retention policy How long records are kept How they’re disposed of

PUBLIC RECORDS POLICY Legal Custodian The person designated to be in charge of the library records (probably the director) Availability of Records When records are available How to contact the records custodian Any fees Fees are limited to “actual, necessary, and direct cost” of reproduction, mailing, etc. Post notice Oshkosh’s policy posted at penrecordspolicy

RECORDS RETENTION POLICY All public agencies must have a retention policy Adopted by the governing body Approved by the Wisconsin Public Records Board and the State Historical Society Types of records you have How long you keep records How you dispose of records

RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE FOR WISCONSIN PUBLIC LIBRARIES Found at Lists all types of records a library is likely to have Already approved by the State Possible your library board adopted this policy in 2006

NumberSeries TitleRetentionConfidentiality 002Policy ManualSUP+2 003Annual Reports-to the Board &/or MunicipalityPERM 004Annual Reports-to the StatePERM 005Minutes and Meeting MaterialsPERM 006General CorrespondenceCR+2 010ProceduresSUP 011Planners/CalendarsACT 016Patron Incident and Disciplinary FilesACT+5CONFIDENTIAL 022Open Records RequestsEVT+1 023ContractsEXP+4 028Final Annual BudgetFIS Budget DocumentationFIS+5 030Annual Financial Report/AuditFIS InvoicesFIS+4 041Bank Statements and ReconciliationFIS+4 044Payroll Deduction/Liability RecordsFIS+4CONFIDENTIAL

RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE FOR WISCONSIN PUBLIC LIBRARIES Wisconsin Law requires that you adopt a schedule before disposing of records If you have not done this you may not dispose of any record The times specified in the schedule are minimum retention times. You may need to keep certain records longer Example: records relating to a capital purchase may need to be kept longer for warranty or insurance purposes

ADOPTING A RECORDS RETENTION POLICY Go through your records to figure out what you have Take a look at the policy at See if you have anything not listed Determine if anything on the list is covered by a municipal policy If you make changes in the pre-approved policy you need to have the changes approved

ADOPTING THE POLICY ON THE DPI SITE AS-IS 1.Have the board adopt the schedule 2.Notify State Historical Society 3.Receive their approval

4. START TOSSING

TAGGING FILES Status Permanent Non-Record Active Inactive Date it can be tossed Method of disposal

WHY BOTHER ADOPTING THE SCHEDULE AND TAGGING FILES? Lets you legally dispose of stuff By using the schedule you don’t have to decide every time you look at something By tagging files you decide once and don’t even have to look inside the file again—just look at the label and toss

DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS Some records can just be tossed—recycle or trash. Confidential records must be shredded or otherwise destroyed A record may not be destroyed if litigation involving the record has commenced or if you have received a request for the record before it has been destroyed.

COPIERS, PRINTERS, & PCS Most photocopiers manufactured since 2002 contain a hard drive that stores all images copied by the copier Some printers and fax machines may also have hard drives Before disposing of a copier, high-end printer, or PC the hard drive should be removed or erased The owner’s manual may have this information

RESOURCES Wisconsin Public Records Law Records Retention Schedule for Wisconsin Public Libraries Trustee Essential 15: The Library Board and the Public Records Law

Julie’s workshop notes posted at Frequently Asked Questions About Libraries and Wisconsin's Public Records Law Frequently Asked Questions About Compliance With the Parental Access to Library Records Law More FAQs on records