University Secretary

Top Ten Tips for Managing Information

1. Arrange all your records systematically.

so that you and other members of staff can find information easily and quickly (see example).

2. Label your paper files accurately and helpfully.

e.g. covers or spines should display a title, covering dates and, if appropriate, a disposal date. For more information see Factsheet: Managing Paper Records.

3. Name your electronic documents and folders consistently.

Develop naming conventions and standard terminology to make the retrieval of information faster and simpler. For more information, see Factsheet: Naming Electronic Documents.

4. Close down files at regular intervals.

Close down paper files, as well as electronic folders, at regular intervals to keep them at a manageable size: e.g.

  • when the academic/financial year has ended;
  • when a project has come to an end;
  • when a file/folder covers a period of more than 5 years;
  • when nothing has been added for 2 years.
5. Separate your active files from your older material.

Keep records that are consulted frequently close-at-hand within the immediate office space, and store older material in a separate archive store or off-site at FileStore.

6. Set aside time at least once a month for sorting your records.

Review your information regularly and delete unwanted working copies, trivial emails and out-of-date reference material.

7. Make sure you know how long to keep your major categories of records

Check your department's retention schedule, if available, or ask the University Records Manager for guidance. For more information, see retention schedules and the retention requirements flowchart.

8. Share information appropriately

Store information to which other members of staff require access on a shared network drive or within a centralised filing system, so that your department can operate efficiently when you are absent.

9. Keep confidential information securely

Store confidential paper records in locked cabinets or drawers when not in use. Do not leave computers unattended when logged-on, change your passwords at regular intervals, and use encryption where appropriate.

10. Store all critical business data on a network drive

so that it will be protected by appropriate back up and disaster recovery procedures.

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