Can an email be a record?
Email has increasingly become the primary business
tool for both internal and external communication.
A significant amount of information that may have
previously existed in hardcopy now often only exists in
electronic form as part of an email.
Emails created or received by University employees are
‘State records’ and must be managed in accordance with
the Archives Act 1983. Email records are also subject
to other legislation such as the Right to Information Act
2009 and to legal processes such as legal discovery.
All email systems create records, but most email systems
are not designed to capture and manage emails as
records. Important business information may be lost if
email records are not managed properly.
It is the responsibility of all University employees to
ensure that they save email records into a recordkeeping
system as soon as possible after receipt or dispatch.
What is a recordkeeping system?
A recordkeeping system is a system which captures,
manages and provides access to records through time.
Recordkeeping systems can be in either electronic or
paper form. Some areas of the University have access to
an electronic recordkeeping system called HP Records
Manager (HPRM) which should be used where available.
Emails may also be printed for storage in a traditional
paper filing system, but this should only be used as a last
resort, as emails contain contextual information which
may not be reproduced in a printed copy.
Categories of email
Email created or received by University employees can
generally be divided into three categories:
Business email
Business emails are emails which document University
business activities, transactions and decisions. They
must be retained as records. Examples include:
•
A communication between employees in which a
formal approval is recorded.
•
A direction for an important course of action.
•
A discussion between employees which results in a
decision being formulated.
•
Business information distributed by email as
attachments.
•
Business correspondence received from outside or
inside the University.
Business emails must be saved into a recordkeeping
system to provide evidence of business activities and
meet legal requirements. Disposal must be authorised in
accordance with the relevant disposal schedule.
Short-term-value email
Short-term-value emails (also known as ephmeral emails)
are emails used to facilitate University business but
which are of such low or short-term-value that they may
be routinely destroyed once reference ceases under the
authority of the relevant disposal schedule, DA 2158.
Examples include:
Network drives & shared email folders
•
Duplicate copies of bulk/circular emails
If you don’t have access to HPRM, you may save
emails as PDFs in your network drive (e.g. “N” drive
etc.) or in shared email folders, but these are not true
recordkeeping systems and should only be used as an
interim solution in accordance with the advice given
in RMU Information Sheet 11. This involves creating a
controlled folder structure, saving attachments in readonly formats and instituting housekeeping procedures.
•
Notices of meetings
•
Internal work-related email received by carbon copy
(cc) or blind carbon copy (bcc)
•
Email cover notes
•
Informal email messages (staff newsletters, FYI,
pamphlets, flyers distributed via email)
Personal email
Personal email is email of a personal nature which has
no relevance to the business of the University. Examples
include emails dealing with topics such as:
•
Let’s do lunch
•
Personal/family arrangements
•
Personal correspondence
Personal email can be destroyed as soon as it is no
longer required. If an email incorporates both personal
and work-related information, then the email is a business
record and should be saved into a recordkeeping system.
Emails with specific attributes
Emails with attachments
Attachments to business emails must be saved into a
recordkeeping system. Documents attached to business
email messages are an important part of the business
record and must be saved with the email message.
Carbon copy (Cc) & Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc)
If an employee receives a cc or bcc of business email
from an external party, the primary recipient needs to
save the email in a recordkeeping system. If the email
was sent by another University employee, only the
sender should save the email into a recordkeeping
system.
Records Management Unit
Email threads
An email discussion thread is an email conversation or
series of related messages. Each individual message
responds to an earlier message, which has been sent or
forwarded on to many people.
Rather than save every individual email in a thread, you
may selectively save emails at key points in the thread or
the final email in the thread, provided that the previous
emails quoted in the body of the saved email have not
been altered in any way.
Managing Email
Records
Further information
Please refer to the University’s Records Management
Policy and Guidelines for more detailed information.
These and many other resources are available from the
Records Management Unit website:
http://www.utas.edu.au/it/records
If you have any questions about recordkeeping, please
contact the Records Management Unit:
Email: [email protected]
Mailbag: Private Bag 69
© University of Tasmania, CRICOS 00586B
Records Management Unit