Many of the records that we create and handle as ECU employees contain information that needs to remain confidential. These types of records may include personnel files, student records, consumer information (such as credit card numbers), or other records with personally identifiable information (like driver's license numbers or Social Security numbers).
In the UNC System General Records Retention and Disposition Schedule, series of records that often contain information that must remain confidential is identified with a lock symbol. The schedule also cites relevant state and federal laws regarding their handling and disposition.
Many of the sensitive records handled in ECU offices are not scheduled to be transferred to the University Archivist. Often, the office will be required to maintain the records for a certain number of years after which, as long as there are no outstanding legal or audit holds, the records may be destroyed. All records that contain confidential or personally identifying information must be destroyed by our approved vendor. Contact the University Records Manager before destroying any records. If for some reason non-permanent records need to be transferred to University History and Records, contact the University Records Manager for training.
In those cases where sensitive records are scheduled for permanent retention in University Archives, the transferring office must identify the records as sensitive in order to ensure that they are not opened for public access even after ownership is transferred to University Archivist. Because we do not review every single document that comes to the University Archives, we may not notice sensitive records unless they are clearly identified.
While there is no standard procedure at this time for labeling sensitive records before transfer to University Archives, each office should take care to ensure that the archivist is aware of any confidential materials being transferred.