Tips for a Successful Office Cleanup

Plan ahead

  • Contact the Information and Records Management Program at 5-6499at least a week prior to your clean up for personalized assistance in planning your project.
  • Review Harvard’s information and records management policies and tools at

Be aware of Harvard’s policies about retaining and disposing of records

  • Harvard has official policies on how long you must keep different kinds of records and their disposition, known as the General Records Schedule (GRS). Download the GRS prior to June 29 from
  • Identify the kinds of records in your office and follow the retention guidelines in the GRS.
  • Common records and their retention periods are listed on the reverse side of this handout.
  • If you are cleaning up your electronic files or your email, be aware that the GRS applies to records in electronic formats too.
  • For help interpreting the GRS, call 5-6499.

Destroying records

  • Shred records containing confidential information (financial, personal, sensitive).
  • Call OSS at 5-6380 to arrange shredding services.
  • Do not destroy any records pertaining to an investigation, litigation, audit, or program review in progress or if you know that one is about to be held. This is the case even if the retention period or disposition date specified for the records has already expired.
  • Document destroyed records, recording the type of records and their dates.

Storage options

  • Off-site storage is available for office records that must be retained but are not frequently used. Call Melissa Murphy at 6-6364 for information and instructions.

Permanent (archival) records

  • For records with permanent retention periods or historical value, contact Laura Peimer, Archivist, at 5-3688 to arrange for their transfer to Historical Collections.

Post clean-up assessment

  • If your clean up inspires you to reorganize your files for improved access and management, call the Information and Records Management Program for professional assistance in designing a recordkeeping system.

When in doubt DON’T throw it out!

Common Records and their Retention Periods

The following are common records and their retention periods. Following each item is its General Records Schedule citation number ( Contact the Information and Records Management Program at 5-6499 for records not on the list or for questions.

*Note: for records with a retention period of archives review or permanent contact Laura Peimer at 5-3688*

Financial records

  • Accounts payable records (GRS 0410) – retain 4 years (non-sponsored accounts) or 6 years (sponsored accounts), then destroy
  • Cash records (GRS0 0420) – retain for 4 years (non-sponsored accounts) or 6 years (sponsored accounts), then destroy
  • Journal records (GRS 0460) – retain for 4 years (non-sponsored accounts) or 6 years (sponsored accounts), then destroy
  • Fiscal audit records (GRS 0525) – archives review after 5 years
  • Payroll records (GRS 0560) – retain 6 years after employee leaves, then destroy

Human resource records

  • Personnel records (GRS 0675) – retain 6 years after employee leaves, then destroy
  • Faculty personnel records (GRS 0705) – permanent retention for junior and senior faculty
  • Search records (GRS 0765) – retain for 3 years after the end of the search, then destroy

Committee records

  • Standing committee records (GRS 1027) – permanent
  • All other committee records (GRS 1032, 1035) – archives review after 5 years

Program and project records

  • Program planning and management records (GRS 1120, 1125, 1130, 1135, 1150) – archives review after 5 years
  • Executive correspondence (GRS 1050) – archives review after 5 years
  • Special project records (GRS 1175) – archives review after 5 years

Special events, conferences and programs records

  • Special event, conference, and programrecords (GRS 1820, 1825, 1850) – archives review after 5 years

Academic program and student records

  • Academic program administration records (GRS 3100) –permanent
  • Curriculum development and review records (GRS 3160)– archives review after 5 years
  • Course records (GRS 3157) – archives review after 5 years
  • Graduate student records (GRS 4150) – permanent

Faculty records

  • Faculty biographical records (GRS 3320) – permanent
  • Faculty personal and professional papers (GRS 3380) – archives review after 5 years

*Remember to shred confidential and sensitive records*

Preparing HBS records foR storage

during the July 07 network outage

HBS records that you don’t actively use but must retain for a specified length of time according to Harvard’s General Records Schedule ( are eligible for storage in the HBS Records Storage Program. If you are unsure whether your records are eligible, please call Liz Copenhagen, Information Life Cycle Manager, at 5-6499.

Permanent (historical) records should be transferred to Baker Library’s Historical Collections. Contact Laura Peimer, HBS Archivist, at 5-3688to determine if you have historical records eligible for transfer.Instructions for transfer are on the reverse side of this page.

Prior to the July network outage

  • Review the records in your office using the General Records Schedule ( to determine whether you have eligible records for storage. For assistance with using the General Records Schedule, call Liz Copenhagen at 5-6499.
  • Contact to request cartons and barcodes (at least 1 week prior to June 30)
  • Review detailed instructions on how to pack up records and download the necessary forms at

During the July network outage

  • Pack records - pack contents into cartons in a consistent and discernable order (e.g. alphabetic by folder/item title, sequential by course number, chronologically) that is most appropriate for future access.

oAttach one barcode per carton to the lower right-hand corner of one handle end of the carton.

oAttach one label to the upper left-hand corner of the same end of the carton, but make sure the lid does not cover it. Include the office name and box number on the label.

oThe carton lid must fit tightly over the box opening.

oDo not pack cartons so that the sides bulge or so that the contents are higher than the top edges of the open carton.

oDo not use "Pendaflex" folders (a.k.a. hanging folders) in the storage boxes.

  • Complete paperwork

oIf you downloaded the forms prior to the network outage, fill them out with the required information. If you did not download the forms ahead of time, call Liz Copenhagen at 5-6499 to have the forms delivered to you.

oFor questions about the paperwork, call Liz Copenhagen at 5-6499.

After the July network outage

  • Contact to initiate transfer of records into the records management program.
  • When packing is completed, return the completed accession form, as an email attachment, to .
  • When the completed accession form is received, Baker Library will notify you with a target date to have the boxes picked up from your office (normally within 1-3 working days after receipt of the completed form).

Any questions about storage procedures? Contact Liz Copenhagen at 5-6499!

Preparing Permanent HBS records foR TRANSFER TO ARCHIVES

Some records produced by your office have on-going historical value, even after they are no longer useful to your office. Harvard’s General Records Schedule ( identifies these records as having permanent or “archives” retention. Some examples of permanent or archives records are student records, project records, committee records, and special events records. Questions about your records and if they should be permanently retained in the Archives can be directed to Laura Peimer, Archivist, at 5-3688.

Prior to the July network outage(at least 2 weeks before)

  • Review the records in your office using the General Records Schedule ( to determine whether you have permanent records to transfer to the Archives.
  • Contact Laura Peimer at 5-3688 or o discuss the records that you would like to transfer and to request boxes, labels and paperwork.

During the July network outage

  • Pack records

oArchives will send you labels and archival-quality cartons and lids. Do not recycle ordinary cartons or bankers boxes.

oKeep files in order. All files should have folder titles.

oDo not place files flat--stand them up in boxes.

oDo not overfill boxes.

oFiles in partially filled boxes should be kept upright. Try folding empty folders to fill extra space (be inventive).

oDo not box up hanging file folders. (The metal tabs tear up the box edges.)

  • Label boxes – attach label to box and record the following information on the label:

oDepartment

oBox contents

oDate range

oBox number

  • Prepare paperwork

oMake a list of the folders in each box using the form provided by Archives

oIf you did not request a form prior to the network outage, contact Laura Peimer at 5-3688 to have a form delivered to you.

After the July network outage

  • Return the container and folder list via e-mail to
  • When you are ready to transfer the boxes, call 5-3688 or e-mail and we will call in a work order for pick up.