Data Protection & Freedom of Information Office

Records & Records Management

Records are an important asset.  They support the University’s core functions and provide evidence of the University’s activities and decisions.

Recorded information in any format that is produced or maintained in the course of University business can potentially be classified as a record, and must be managed appropriately.

Records management is concerned with the creation, use, management, and disposal of records.  Records management ensures that:

• the University knows what records it has, where they are kept, and for how long they need to be retained.
• the efficient and effective flow of information.
• the overheads associated with administrating information are reduced.
• the University is protected from the risks associated with non-compliance and can evidence that events and transactions occurred.
• everyone is aware of their record keeping responsibilities, including Senior Information Risk Owners (SIROs).
• records are maintained throughout their lifecycle, from creation to disposal.
• the University meets its obligations under Data Protection, Freedom of Information, and Environmental Information legislation and regulations.

The records that the University creates and maintains, whether born-digital, digitally derived, or paper-based, must be managed in accordance with the University’s Records Management Policy.

Additionally, the Section 61 Code of Practice on Records Management offers guidance for public authorities on creating, keeping, managing, and disposing of records.  The code accompanies the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and is designed to provide advice on managing records so that their information is retrievable for Freedom of Information requests.