RecoRds ManageMent Unit

Can an email be a reCord?Email has increasingly become the primary business tool for both internal and external communication. A significant amount of information that may have previously existed in hardcopy now often only exists in electronic form as part of an email.

Emails created or received by University employees are ‘State records’ and must be managed in accordance with the Archives Act 1983. Email records are also subject to other legislation such as the Right to Information Act 2009 and to legal processes such as legal discovery.

All email systems create records, but most email systems are not designed to capture and manage emails as records. Important business information may be lost if email records are not managed properly.

It is the responsibility of all University employees to ensure that they save email records into a recordkeeping system as soon as possible after receipt or dispatch.

What is a reCordkeeping system?A recordkeeping system is a system which captures, manages and provides access to records through time. Recordkeeping systems can be in either electronic or paper form. Some areas of the University have access to an electronic recordkeeping system called HP Records Manager (HPRM) which should be used where available.

Emails may also be printed for storage in a traditional paper filing system, but this should only be used as a last resort, as emails contain contextual information which may not be reproduced in a printed copy.

Network drives & shared email folders

If you don’t have access to HPRM, you may save emails as PDFs in your network drive (e.g. “N” drive etc.) or in shared email folders, but these are not true recordkeeping systems and should only be used as an interim solution in accordance with the advice given in RMU Information Sheet 11. This involves creating a controlled folder structure, saving attachments in read-only formats and instituting housekeeping procedures.

Categories of email

Email created or received by University employees can generally be divided into three categories:

Business email

Business emails are emails which document University business activities, transactions and decisions. They must be retained as records. Examples include:

• A communication between employees in which a formal approval is recorded.

• A direction for an important course of action.

• A discussion between employees which results in a decision being formulated.

• Business information distributed by email as attachments.

• Business correspondence received from outside or inside the University.

Business emails must be saved into a recordkeeping system to provide evidence of business activities and meet legal requirements. Disposal must be authorised in accordance with the relevant disposal schedule.

Short-term-value email

Short-term-value emails (also known as ephmeral emails) are emails used to facilitate University business but which are of such low or short-term-value that they may be routinely destroyed once reference ceases under the authority of the relevant disposal schedule, DA 2158.

Examples include:

• Duplicate copies of bulk/circular emails

• Notices of meetings

• Internal work-related email received by carbon copy (cc) or blind carbon copy (bcc)

• Email cover notes

• Informal email messages (staff newsletters, FYI, pamphlets, flyers distributed via email)

Personal email

Personal email is email of a personal nature which has no relevance to the business of the University. Examples include emails dealing with topics such as:

• Let’s do lunch

• Personal/family arrangements

• Personal correspondence

Personal email can be destroyed as soon as it is no longer required. If an email incorporates both personal and work-related information, then the email is a business record and should be saved into a recordkeeping system.

emails With speCifiC attributes

Emails with attachments

Attachments to business emails must be saved into a recordkeeping system. Documents attached to business email messages are an important part of the business record and must be saved with the email message.

Carbon copy (Cc) & Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc)

If an employee receives a cc or bcc of business email from an external party, the primary recipient needs to save the email in a recordkeeping system. If the email was sent by another University employee, only the sender should save the email into a recordkeeping system.

RecoRds ManageMent Unit

Email threads

An email discussion thread is an email conversation or series of related messages. Each individual message responds to an earlier message, which has been sent or forwarded on to many people.

Rather than save every individual email in a thread, you may selectively save emails at key points in the thread or the final email in the thread, provided that the previous emails quoted in the body of the saved email have not been altered in any way.

further information

Please refer to the University’s Records Management Policy and Guidelines for more detailed information. These and many other resources are available from the Records Management Unit website:

http://www.utas.edu.au/it/records

If you have any questions about recordkeeping, please contact the Records Management Unit:

Email: RMU.Staff@utas.edu.au

Mailbag: Private Bag 69© University of Tasmania, CRICOS 00586B

managing email reCords