Outreach
RELATED LINKS:
- PIRC Brochure
- PIRC Newsletter
- Records Management at Harvard University
- Relationship to University Archives and Harvard Depository
- Transferring Records to the Depository
- Accessing Inactive and Historic Records
PIRC Newsletter (Spring 2008)
Timely news and updates from the PIRC aimed at the project and facilities management communities at Harvard.
Records Management at Harvard University
The University records management program is part of a University-wide effort to ensure the responsible administration of University records throughout their life cycle, from creation, maintenance and use to disposition. The University-wide effort was authorized by the Harvard Corporation vote of March 13, 1995. Records are not to be destroyed or otherwise disposed of except in accordance with procedures and schedules established by the University Archives through its records management program.
University records include all forms of recorded information regardless of physical form that are created, received, recorded, or filed in the course of University business or for University's legal obligations. University records include but are not limited to minutes; correspondence; memoranda; financial records, such as invoices, journals, ledgers, purchase orders, and other information pertaining to fiscal matters, including grant fiscal matters; published materials, including reports and newsletters; moving images and photographs; sound recordings; drawings and maps; annotated copies or books; and computer data or other machine readable electronic records, including electronic mail (vote of Harvard Corporation March 13, 1995).
Relationship to University Archives and Harvard Depository
The PIRC acts as a liaison between HRES, University Archives Records Management Office, and the Harvard Depository. The PIRC works with University Archives to ensure the preservation and access to the historic records of Harvard Real Estate Services and its predecessor agencies. These records serve as the organization's legal, fiscal, administrative, and historical documentation.
Transferring Records to the Depository
Inactive (permanent and nonpermanent) records are transferred to the Harvard Depository according to record retention schedules approved by Harvard University Archives Records Management Office and the director of HRES. For more information, see Resource Guide 2: Records Management at HRES. You must contact the PIRC prior to transferring records to the Harvard Depository. Contact the PIRC manager or information coordinator for more information and for a copy of your current records retention schedule. For general records unrelated to University-wide projects, see the General Records Schedule. Records should be systematically transferred to the Harvard Depsitory once the records are inactive i.e., accessed less than once per month.
Accessing Inactive and Historic Records
- Access to historic and inactive records of the University Planning Office, Harvard Real Estate Services, Allston Development Group is provided by the PIRC.
- Record requests must be made through the PIRC and retrieved records must be used in the PIRC.
- Requests placed by 2:00 pm will be retrieved from the Harvard Depository by the next business day, typically arriving prior to 11:00 am. Rush service is available with the verbal approval of the unit director.
- Requests should be emailed to the information coordinator and should be copied to the PIRC manager and cataloger. This will ensure that your request of processed as soon as possible.
- Pending the availability of PIRC staff, the PIRC will photocopy up to two folders and forward them to the appropriate HRES office via University mail.
- In case of special PIRC closings or if PIRC staff is unavailable, Residential Real Estate has a designated signatory for requesting records at 8-10 Mount Auburn St., if emergency access is required