Offsite Secure Records Storage Advice
From time to time University Archives and the Records Management Office receive enquiries about the use of offsite secure records storage.
All records assessed as requiring permanent retention, must be stored in the University Permanent Archive Repository located on Clayton campus. For assistance in determining the retention period for your records please contact the University Archives.
If your records have been assessed as not requiring permanent retention, the use of offsite records storage is an option. As University records are public records under the Public Records Act, the University must only use offsite storage facilities approved by the Public Record Office Victoria (also known as Approved Public Record Office Storage Supplier or APROSS). A list of these offsite storage facilities is available here: https://prov.vic.gov.au/recordkeeping-government/certified-suppliers-vendors/apross-for-agencies. The University does not have a preferred or recommended supplier from that list.
Here are some initial questions to help you start the process of preparing your records that don’t require permanent retention, for offsite storage:
- Have your records been officially sentenced by either the University Archives, the Records Management Office, or have you received written advice from Research Ethics as to the minimum retention period for your records? Before being transferred to an offsite storage facility, records MUST be appraised and sentenced by Monash University Archives or the Records Management Office. There are rules around how long records should be kept and Archives and Records Management will assist you to determine how the rules and regulations are applied to your records before they leave Monash custody.
- Is your Faculty aware you are planning to move your records into offsite secure storage? Is there a budget for ongoing storage of your records? It is important that your Faculty is aware that you are intending to move records offsite, and that all pertinent information is stored in a location that enables faculty administrative access. It is vital that appropriate faculty staff have oversight and access to the information relating to records stored offsite in order to ensure they are managed appropriately regardless of Faculty staff changes and/or restructuring. Budgetary considerations should also be approved prior to relocation as the Faculty will be responsible for all costs relating to the management of their offsite records.
- Have your sentenced records been organised? Do you have a list of the records in each box? Do you know how many boxes of records will need to be stored? Organising your records in preparation for the procurement process will ensure that the quotes you receive from the secure storage providers will be accurate and relevant to your needs. In addition, the recording of file location information will be vital to both the retrieval and destruction process.
Our final piece of advice is to make sure the records are not over-retained and kept for only the minimum retention period, as advised by University Archives or the Records Management Office. Over-retention of records incurs unnecessary storage costs and risks the records being lost or forgotten over time.
We are here to help. If you have any questions about the information on these pages or what is provided by the Public Record Office Victoria, you are very welcome to get in touch with the University Archives or Records Management Office.