Consultation
URM staff are available to assist University offices and schools with the implementation of policies and best practices for their internal records. We are available to consult on the many stages of a records lifecycle, from creation to destruction. Whether your team is:
- conducting an inventory of their records, paper and/or electronic
- seeking assistance with the development of internal policies and practices
- requesting a customized retention guide specific to your records
- worried about your compliancy status
… we are here to advise and support you. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us. We are happy to arrange an online conference call or provide support via email.
Education
One of the vital tasks for University Records Management is the education of the Mason community of our records responsibilities as an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. We provide online training through MasonLEAPS in two areas:
- University Records Management Infolinx Training
- Infolinx is the records management tool used to track the lifecycle of George Mason University records and is administered by University Records Management. It allows faculty and staff to to input and track their department’s record-related data, and is required before URM staff are able to provide anyone or department with secure disposition or intake of boxes or files for retention.
- Please refer to this document for Infolinx box label printing instructions. Box labels must be applied to boxes before they are transferred to the University Records Center.
- Records Coordinator Training
- This workshop will prepare George Mason University staff and faculty for their role as a records coordinator. The records coordinator represents and liaisons with URM staff on behalf of their department or unit. This training is especially helpful in learning about the lifecycle of records.
Please visit our Trainings & Resources page for a variety of quick reference retention guides, and links to other educational materials.
Storage & Destruction
[Please note that as of March 2023, URM is unable to accept boxes for storage due to space and staff limitations. Shredding intake is limited, and we no longer provide totes due to a vendor change. If you need to shred records, you may request boxes.]
All storage and destructions services provided by University Records Management are currently free of charge.
University Records Management oversees the operation of the University Records Center. Located on the Fairfax campus, the University Records Center is a cost-effective, high-density storage facility holding approximately 14,000 records boxes. Storage for temporary, inactive paper records is available to Mason offices, schools, and research associates. We do not accept the following for storage: non-paper formats, active records, permanent or historical records. All paper records coming for storage to the University Records Center must be appropriately arranged in records center boxes provided by University Records Management.
Prior to destruction, all records – regardless of format – must be approved by the University Records Officer.
Secure shredding services are available for paper through the University Records Center via a bonded records disposition company. If you are seeking a Certificate of Records Destruction for records approved by URM to be sent to the University Records Center or to securely scrub your electronic records, please email the University Records Management team. All completed Certificates are processed by the Library of Virginia, as required by the Virginia Public Records Act.
Please see our University Records Center page for information on requesting records center boxes and transferring records for storage or confidential destruction.