The mission of the òȾòƵ of Missouri System four-campus records and information management program is to establish the criteria for the retention of records to ensure the òȾòƵ retains the necessary information to meet legal, financial, administrative, research and historical needs, in the most cost-effective manner in accordance with official òȾòƵ policy. 

The Records Center can assist with the following services: 

  • Providing supplies such as: 
    • White box labels for storage 
    • Green destruction labels 
  • Returning a file or box stored at the Records Center 
  • Pick-up or delivery 
  • Destruction of confidential material

Records to Send or Not Send

All òȾòƵ records that have official retention schedules can be stored in the Records Center.  

What Not to Send to the Records Center 

  • Active records (referred to more than monthly) 
  • Outdated or obsolete material 
  • Non-record material, see òȾòƵ Policy 23001: Records General Policy for more detail 
  • Extra reference copies of records 
  • Stocks of publications, pamphlets, blank forms, books, etc. 
  • Private materials 
  • Binders 
  • Hazardous material 
  • Hanging file folders
  • Items that cannot be shredded 

How to Store Records at the Records Center 

  1. Pack boxes: Transfer records, including folders (no hanging folders or binders), from file cabinets or shelving into boxes. Leave at least one inch of working space in each packed box. Create an index/inventory of what is in each box so you can complete the box labels (Form UM 121) and Form UM 34: Transmittal of Records (PDF). 
  2. Label each box and create a content sheet for your records: Complete a label (Form UM 121) for each box and attach a completed label to either end of each box, below the handle. You may want to create a content sheet for each box to assist you in recalling it in the future. 
  3. Complete and submit a transmittal form: Complete and submit Form UM 34: Transmittal of Records (PDF) electronically for all new boxes sent to the òȾòƵ Records Center for storage. One form can be used for up to 15 boxes.  

If you use an email product other than Microsoft Outlook, the “Submit Form” button may not work. You will then have to attach the completed PDF and email it to recordstransmittal@umsystem.edu.  

Recalling Records from Storage 

You can recall records either by email or by phone call.  

To request via email, contact centeru@umsystem.edu to request the return of a box, file or folder. Please include the location number of the box(es), your delivery address, name and phone number for returns. If possible, please also include your Records Management customer number with your request. 

To request via phone, call the Records Center at 573-882-7652 and request the records you would like to have returned. Please provide the location of the container (box) that was sent to you on a copy of your transmittal.

Delivery of Requests 

Offices located in Columbia can receive same day delivery of records, provided the request is made by 8:30 a.m. Requests received after 8:30 a.m. will be delivered that afternoon or the following business day. 

When the request is for a single record or file from a box in the Records Center, a “Records Center Location” label will be attached to the record or file. Do not remove this label, as this label indicates where the record or file is to be refiled. 

Returning Requested Files to Storage 

Please return files and boxes to the Records Center as soon as feasible. Please indicate if a requested file or box will not be returned to the Records Center. 

Return files and/or boxes to storage via campus courier (outside of Columbia area) or call 573-882-7652 for pickup in the Columbia area. 

What Ultimately Happens to My Records? 

Records stored by the òȾòƵ Records Center will be shelved for their appropriate retention period.  

When the records stored at the Records Center have reached the disposition stage, an "Annual Destruction Notice" will be sent to the department for approval. This typically happens in late January or early February of each year. 

When you receive the "Annual Destruction Notice" please review each entry on the list to ensure the records listed are in fact due for the action indicated. If all records are listed correctly and are eligible for destruction, please sign the "Annual Destruction Notice" and return to Records Management, or email the signed form and attachments to recordsmanagement@umsystem.edu or contact 573-882-5955.   

Contact the Records & Information Management staff if you feel the "Annual Destruction Notice" is not correct. At that time, staff will provide additional instructions on how to proceed. 

Confidential Disposal Service 

Departments with confidential or sensitive documents that are not records, or that are beyond their retention period, may either dispose of those records themselves in a method that makes record recognition impossible or send the records to the Records Center for disposal.  

Records sent to the Records Center should be placed in boxes no larger than a standard copy paper box. Each box sent to the Records Center for destruction must have a green “Records Destruction Label” (Form UM 176A) attached to the top of the box.  

Any boxes received at the Records Center with the “Records Destruction Label” attached will be disposed. Make sure you have the authority to dispose records. If there is any doubt about disposing records, contact Records staff for clarification at recordsmanagement@umsystem.edu or contact 573-882-5955. 

Records, which are not of a confidential or sensitive nature, may be disposed of by means of regularly-established departmental practices for handling recyclable or wastepaper. Destruction pick-ups are available daily for the Columbia area.