Records Transfer List: Detailed Instructions

This guidance is designed to help you complete a Records Transfer List (RTL) to send your inactive records to a Records Center. Please follow these instructions when preparing boxes for transfer to a state approved off-site storage vendor and when completing and submitting a Records Transfer List.

For records that are no longer active and have not met their authorized disposition date, prepare them for transfer to an approved off-site Records Center. Using off-site Records Centers frees up valuable office space, improves efficiency and productivity, and reduces operational costs.

To order barcodes and boxes, please contact the approved off-site Records Center vendor directly. There are two storage vendors; one in Anchorage and one in Juneau. Contact the appropriate vendor to order the barcodes needed for the boxes to be transferred.

Once you have the barcodes from the vendor, you can prepare the boxes. Here are some tips on preparing the boxes:

• Plan on two boxes per filing cabinet drawer
• Maintain files in the same drawer order, e.g. alpha, numeric, etc
• Remove all "Pendaflex" or hanging files
• Place 3-ring binders flat in the box or remove materials and place in manila folders
• Leave at least 1" of space in the box, to facilitate file pull
• Use one barcode per box. The barcode number will correspond to column 18 of the RTL

Once you have prepared the boxes and attached the barcodes, you will need to fill out a RTL form. When filling out a Records Transfer List (RTL), please use the most current version of the RTL form in either Word or Excel format.

Please do not use a PDF or PDF forms. Scanned PDFs of RTLs will not be accepted.

• Records Transfer List form [Word]
• Records Transfer List form [Excel]
• Basic Form Instructions [PDF]
• Detailed RTL Instructions [PDF]

Tips on preparing your RTL form:

• Please do not over-write or re-use a previously submitted RTL. Always begin with a new RTL form and make sure you are using the most current version.
• Please use an mm/dd/yyyy format when entering dates into column 15 "Inclusive Dates" & column 16 "Disposition Dates". Listing your inclusive dates and disposition dates in the mm/dd/yyyy format helps the calculation in pinpointing the exact date when records are ripe for disposition, and not stored longer than they need to be. Records being transferred to and stored at a state approved off-site records center affect each agency's budget as there are costs involved on an ongoing basis. Listing exact dates in the mm/dd/yyyy format saves agencies money by avoiding storing records longer than necessary. Please do not "round up" disposition dates. Instead, calculate to the exact disposition date per the Records Retention and Disposition Schedules.
• When listing RRDS numbers, item numbers, and records series names in columns 12, 13, and 14 of the RTL form, do not use a quotation mark to signify a repeat of a listing. Complete words and/numbers must be in these fields
• Work with only one record series or type (e.g., commission minutes) at a time.
• If needed, file listings or indexes can be included with the transfer.

When filling out the RTL, you will need to refer to your agency's Records Retention and Disposition Schedule (RRDS). All RRDS list series of records and states how long these should be kept and how they should be disposed of, either by being destroyed or by being transferred to the State Archives for permanent retention. Specific custom schedules have been created for your own agency which you will find on our website. Your agency's RRDS includes records specific to your agency. Record types which are common to all agencies are listed on the General Administrative Records Retention and Disposition Schedule (GAARDS) #100.3.

For your reference, here are the links to find your agency's specific Records Retention and Disposition Schedule (RRDS), General Administrative Records Retention and Disposition Schedule (GAARDS) #100.3, and also general guidance on schedules:

• State of Alaska General Administrative Records Retention Schedule [PDF]
• Records Retention and Disposition Schedules (RRDS)
• General Guidance on Schedules [PDF]

Send the completed RTL to your Records Officer for review and approval. All RTLs must be reviewed and approved by your agency's Records Officer before they are sent to Records and Information Management. The Records Officer will review, approve and then send the RTL request to us for our approval and assignment of an RTL number. The reason why RTLs need to come from the Records Officer is whenever records are being transferred to an off-site records center for storage it affects each agency's budget as there are costs involved on an ongoing basis. Additionally, the Records Officer must approve that the records on the RTL can be transferred.

After your Records Officer has reviewed the RTL and authorized the boxes for transfer, your Agency Records Officer will then email the RTL request to us at rims@alaska.gov for our approval and assignment of an approved RTL number. The approved RTL will then be emailed back to your Records Officer and will also be emailed to the appropriate off-site records center storage vendor. Please Note: Both the requesting agency and storage vendor must have received an Approved RTL before any records can be picked up and transferred to a state approved storage vendor.

rims@alaska.gov

As a service to each agency, after we have approved an RTL, our internal procedure at SOA Records & Information Management Services (RIMS) is:

• RIMS immediately emails the Approved RTL to the agency so the agency has the Approved RTL for their records and to alert the contact person and Records Officer to arrange for box pick up, and then
• RIMS emails the Approved RTL to the off-site Records Center vendor to alert them so they can make a work order.

After the RTL is approved, the Agency contact person and/or Records Officer listed on the RTL will need to contact and/or arrange with the appropriate storage vendor to pickup the boxes.