Kansas State Records Management Manual
State Records Board
Statutory Responsibility
The Public Records Act establishes the State Records Board and outlines
its duties in K.S.A. 75-3502 through 75-3504. The purpose of the board
is to oversee "the permanent preservation of important state records
and to provide an orderly method for the disposition of other state
records." The members of the board consist of the following: "the attorney
general, state librarian, secretary of administration, secretary of
the state historical society, or their designated representatives, the
state archivist, and such ex officio members as are hereinafter provided.
The attorney general shall be the chairman and the state archivist shall
be the secretary of the board."
Ex officio members are the elected state official, director, chairman,
or other officer of a state department or agency or his or her designated
representative and the head of the specific division whose records are
being considered by the State Records Board.
Under K.S.A. 75-3504, the State Records Board makes decisions on requests
of the state departments and agencies for the destruction or other disposition
of records and has the power
- "to order the destruction, reproduction, temporary or permanent
retention, and disposition of the public records of any department
or agency of the state, to establish records disposal schedules for
the orderly retirement of records, and to adopt such other rules and
regulations as they may deem necessary to accomplish the purposes
of this act."
Disposition of records can include transfer to the State Records Center
if the department or agency has a current records retention and disposition
schedule that directs such action without further action by the board.
In all of these decisions, the board is "required to safeguard the legal,
financial and historical interests of the state in such records."
The activities of the State Records Board are based on the following
policies outlined in the Government Records Preservation Act (K.S.A.
45-401 through 45-413):
- "State and local government records with enduring value should
be stored in conditions which are not adverse to their permanent preservation
and should be properly arranged so that appropriate public access
to such records is possible. Disposition of noncurrent records which
do not merit preservation will promote economy and efficiency in the
day-to-day activities of government. . . .
- All government records made or received by and all government records
coming into the custody, control or possession of a state or local
agency, in the course of its public duties, and all government records
deposited in the state archives shall not be mutilated, destroyed,
transferred, removed, damaged or otherwise disposed of, in whole or
in part, except as provided by law, or as may be authorized in the
retention and disposition schedules."
The Government Records Preservation Act further defines the responsibilities
of the State Records Board. These include:
- Approve or modify retention and disposition schedules and records
manuals.
- Approve any proposed revision in the retention and disposition schedules
and pass upon requests for authority to dispose of records of state
agencies or counties not listed in the schedules.
- Respond to requests from county commissioners for approval to depart
from specific provisions of the schedules or to implement schedules
applicable to only a single county.
- Pass upon any recommendations by the State Archivist for transfer
to the State Archives of any noncurrent government records with enduring
value which are held by a state agency opposing such a transfer. (In
such cases, "the state agency opposing the transfer shall defend before
the board its reasons for wanting to retain the records in its custody.")
- Approve or modify recommended microphotographic standards prepared
by the State Archivist.
- Pass upon requests for authority to dispose of original government
records of state agencies following reproduction on microfilm as provided
in K.S.A. 45-412 and amendments thereto.
Board Operations
The State Records Board meets quarterly (generally the second Thursdays
of January, April, July, and October) to approve new or revised retention
and disposition schedules for state agencies and to act upon any other
business brought before it. The meetings of the State Records Board
are subject to the Open Meetings Act (K.S.A. 75-4317) and, thus, are
open to the public. Information about meeting times and locations may
be obtained from the State Archives or the Records Management Section
of the Library and Archives Division, Kansas Historical Society
at (785) 272-8681.
The staff of the Records Management Section of the Kansas Historical Society works with state departments and agencies to prepare retention
and disposition schedules for each agency. The recommendations for keeping
some types of records permanently, for destroying other records after
a fixed time period, and for transferring noncurrent records to the
State Records Center for fixed periods of time before their destruction
or transfer to the State Archives are reviewed by the agency's staff
including legal counsel and by the State Archives staff. The records
schedule is then submitted to the State Records Board. Agency staff
attend the meeting at which their schedule is being considered to answer
questions about specific record series or other inquiries from board
members. In addition, K.S.A. 75-3503 authorizes an agency submitting
a records schedule to the State Records Board to designate two individuals
to act as ex officio members of the board; the ex-officio members can
vote when the board considers their agency's proposed schedule. The
board approves the schedule as presented, with modifications, or tables
a specific schedule pending the gathering of additional information.
Approved schedules are filed with the Secretary of State and, without
further action by the State Records Board, agencies may implement the
schedules. Any modification of the retention and disposition requirements
for a specific record series or a number of records series must be approved
by the State Records Board. Retention and disposition requirements for
new records series that were not being created when the schedule was
approved must also be submitted to the board.
It is the goal of the State Records Board that all records created
or received by state departments or agencies in the course of their
public duties be covered by either the General Records Retention and
Disposition Schedule or a schedule specific to the agency. Records must
be scheduled before they may be housed at the State Records Center.
Requests to dispose of records (either by destruction or transfer to
the State Archives) that are not scheduled must be submitted to the
State Records Board for approval. These requests, which are reviewed
on a case-by-case basis, must be submitted to the board in writing through
a letter or memo to its secretary, the State Archivist.
Write to:
State Archivist
Library and Archives Division
Kansas Historical Society
6425 SW 6th Ave.
Topeka, KS 66615-1099
The request should be submitted to the board at least 20 working days
prior to the date of the meeting. A standard records survey form, available
from the Kansas Historical Society, may be used to describe the
records under consideration. If a survey form is not used the request
should include the following information:
- A clear description of the records involved.
- Their informational content.
- The beginning dates of the records involved.
- The quantity of material involved.
- The proposed disposition.
- The reason for submitting the request at this time.
The staff of the Records Management Section may choose to review the
materials in person or through discussions with agency staff members.
Records management staff will prepare an appraisal report for the State
Records Board with their recommendations concerning approval, disapproval,
or modification, thus the lead time recommended. The board may accept
later submissions of requests in emergencies. Staff will work with agencies
to develop the request for disposition authorizations for records not
scheduled.
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