This policy establishes the guidelines and schedule by which the Library, in accordance with state and applicable laws, will maintain its public records.
General Definition
In accordance with the Ohio Revised Code and applicable judicial decisions, records are defined as any item that (i) contains information stored on a fixed medium (such as paper, electronic, including but not limited to e-mail, and other formats); (ii) is created or received by, or sent under the jurisdiction of a public office; and (iii) documents the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations or other activities of the office.
Library Records Commission
The Library Records Commission will consist of two Board Members. The Library’s Fiscal Officer will be named Records Officer. The Commission will meet once annually. The function of the Commission is to review applications for one-time disposal of obsolete records and review schedules of records retention and disposition.
Inventory List of Records Retained
The Library’s inventory will include the Type of records, Contents, Dates, and Location. As permitted by current Ohio law, the Library may consider the microfilming or conversion to electronic format of records to reduce storage space.
Records Retention Schedule
PERMANENT CLASSIFICATION
- Annual Financial Reports to the Auditor of State
- Annual Reports to State Library including library statistics
- Audit Reports from Auditor of State
- Board of Trustees Minutes
- Building Specifications and Plans
- Historical Files
- Payroll Records
- Payroll Tax Records
- Ohio Public Employees Retirement System Reports
- W-2 Forms
NON-PERMANENT CLASSIFICATION
- Applications for Employment—Retain with personnel record if applicant employed; others 1 year
- Bank Deposit Receipts—until audited
- Book Inventories—maintained online; until superseded
- Cash Register Tapes—until audited
- Computer Booking Logs—daily
- Deduction authorizations—until superseded or employment terminated
- Employee handbooks—until superseded
- Employee Request for Leave Forms—until audited
- Employee schedules—fiscal year plus two years
- Inventories, except books—until superseded
- Job descriptions—until superseded
- Levy Campaigns and Work papers—life of levy plus 5 years
- Levy Official Files—life of levy plus 5 years
- Lost Books/Fine Records—once paid remove from patron history
- Receipt Books—until audited
- Software—destroy when obsolete
- Transient materials (all informal and/or temporary messages and notes, including social media posts, e-mail and voice mail messages, and all drafts used in the production of public records) -- Discretionary; retain until no longer of administrative value
- Vehicle Maintenance Records—until vehicle sold
- W-4 Forms—until superseded
30 Days:
- ILL Records (unless financial obligations)
- 3 Months:
- Automated System Backups
1 Year:
- Administrative Policy and Procedure Files (after superseded)
- Board Agendas
- Committee Reports
- Job Postings/advertisements of job openings, promotions, training programs or opportunities for overtime work (if no action pending)
2 Years:
- Postal Records (e.g. registered/certified/insured logs or receipts/postal meter documents)
- Purchase Orders (provided audited)
- Record Requests
- General Correspondence
3 Years:
- Gift Donor Forms
- I-9 Immigration Verification Forms (retained separately from personnel files) – retained 3 years after date of hire, or one year after termination of employment, whichever is later
- Patron Information (after inactive)
4 Years:
- Annual Employee Absence Summary (provided audited)
- Bank Statements (provided audited)
- Bids – Unsuccessful (after Letting of Contract provided audited)
- Canceled Checks (provided audited)
- Cash Journals (provided audited)
- Certificates of Total Amount From Sources Available for Expenditures (provided audited)
- Check Registers (provided audited)
- Depository Agreements (provided audited)
- Investment Reports (provided audited)
- Prevailing Wages Records (provided audited)
- Time Sheets (provided audited)
- Unemployment Compensation Claims (provided audited)
5 Years:
- Accident Reports (provided no pending action)
- Accounting Records not specified
- Accounts Payable Ledger
- Amended Official Certificates
- Annual Budget Resolutions
- Annual Certificate of Estimated Resources
- Appropriation Ledgers
- Deferred Compensation Deduction Reports
- Encumbrance and Expenditure Journal
- Receipt Journals (provided audited)
- Voucher with Invoices (provided audited)
6 Years:
- Personnel Files (after termination of employment)
10 Years:
- Budgets – Annual
- Worker's Compensation Claims (after date of final payment)
- Records Commission/Records Disposal documents
12 Years:
- Contracts and Leases (after expiration)
- Insurance Policies/Bonds (after expiration provided all claims have been settled)
15 Years:
- Bids – Successful (after completion of project)
75 Years:
- Quarterly Payroll Reports for State
RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE
- Annual Employee Leave Use/Balance Report - Retention: 4 years, provided audited
- Annual Financial Report to the Auditor of the State - Retention: Permanent
- Annual Report to State Library (including library statistics) - Retention: Permanent
- Audit Reports from Auditor of State - Retention: Permanent
- Bank Deposit Receipts - Retention: Until audited
- Bank Statements - Retention: 4 years, provided audited
- Bids (Successful)
- A. Copies of successful bids to provide goods and/or services - Retention: 3 fiscal years after expiration of project
- B. Original, if made part of a contract and filed with project - Retention: 15 years after expiration of contract
- Bids (Unsuccessful) - Retention: 4 years after letting of the contract
- Board of Trustees Agendas - Retention: 1 year
- Building Blueprints - Retention: Permanent
- Building Projects Records (successful) - Retention: Permanent
- Building Projects Records (unsuccessful) - Retention: 4 years
- Building Specifications and Plans - Retention: Permanent
- Cancelled Checks - Retention: 4 years, provided audited
- Cash Books and Cash Journals - Retention: 4 years, provided audited
- Check Register Tapes - Retention: Until audited
- Committee Meeting Minutes - Retention: 1 year
- Construction Contracts - Retention: 12 years after the project is completed
- Contracts and Leases - Retention: 12 years (after expiration)
- Correspondence-Transitory messages (all informal and/or temporary messages and notes, including e-mail and voice mail messages, and all drafts used in the production of public records) - Retention: Discretionary; Retain until no longer of administrative value
- Documentation of Leave - Retention: Until audited
- Depository Contracts and Related Collateral - Retention: 4 years after the contract has expired, provided audited
- Employment Applications - Retention: Retain with personnel record if applicant employed; others 1 year
- Accident Reports - Retention: 5 years
- Insurance Policies/Bonds - Retention: 12 years (after expiration, provided all claims settled)
- Interlibrary Loan Records - Retention: 30 days (unless financial obligations)
- Inventories (Property) - Retention: Until superseded
- Investments - Retention: 4 years, provided audited
- Library Card Applications - Retention: 3 years (after inactive)
- Minutes of Board of Trustee Meetings - Retention: Permanent
- Monthly Financial Reports to Library Board - Retention: 5 years, provided audited
- Monthly Statistical Reports - Retention: Until incorporated into year end report
- Operating Procedures - Retention: 1 year
- Payroll Journal/Ledgers - Retention: 5 years, provided audited
- Payroll Records - Retention: Permanent
- Personnel Files - Retention: 6 years after termination of employment (purge extraneous records) Retain retirement waivers, service record and leave balances permanently
- Purchase Orders/Requisitions - Retention: 2 years, provided audited
- Vouchers with invoices - Retention: 5 years, provided audited
- Timesheets - Retention: 4 years, provided audited
- W-2 Forms - Retention: 6 years, provided audited
- W-4 Forms - Retention: Until superseded or employee terminates
- Workers Compensation Claims - Retention: 10 years after date of final payment
