The preservation of records is essential for a variety of reasons. It is one of the major pillars of accountability, ensuring that governments inform their citizens where their funds are spent and how decisions are made. It also serves to satisfy the human need to comprehend the past, allowing people to examine their past and see how things have changed. It is a crucial element of a well-run government and the foundation of a free society. It is also the foundation of privacy protections, preventing businesses and organizations from storing confidential information for an indefinite period of time. This is against the nature of business governance and expose a company to legal actions.
Public records retention is controlled at the federal and state levels, and agencies are responsible for analyzing and understanding their recordkeeping requirements and for making records schedules that meet those requirements. Many agencies have designated records liaison officers and officers responsible for establishing policies procedures, procedures, and systems which will ensure that the guidelines in records schedules are implemented consistently and regularly by their organization.
The schedules are arranged by record type or series. Each record series has its own timeframe for retention that is determined based on the historical fiscal, administrative, and legal value of the information contained within the series. For instance, a handwritten record that is later inserted into an electronic data system will typically not be longer than the original paper record.
https://derwentmills.com/2023/06/07/retention-of-public-records/
