CMC Records Management & Retention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under NARA standards, what is the primary purpose of a records retention schedule?
- To document the cost of storing records
- To establish the length of time records must be kept and their final disposition (Correct answer)
- To catalog all active files by department
- To assign records to specific custodians
Correct answer: To establish the length of time records must be kept and their final disposition
A retention schedule defines how long each record series must be kept and whether it should be destroyed or transferred to archives at the end of its lifecycle.
Question 2: A municipal clerk receives a litigation hold notice. Which action is most appropriate?
- Continue normal destruction of records on schedule
- Immediately suspend destruction of all records potentially relevant to the litigation (Correct answer)
- Transfer all records to the city attorney's office
- Shred only physical records while preserving digital ones
Correct answer: Immediately suspend destruction of all records potentially relevant to the litigation
A litigation hold requires suspending scheduled destruction of any records that may be relevant to pending or reasonably anticipated litigation.
Question 3: Which federal law most directly governs electronic records management for local governments receiving federal funds?
- HIPAA
- FERPA
- 44 U.S.C. Chapter 31 (Federal Records Act)
- OMB Circular A-130 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: OMB Circular A-130
OMB Circular A-130 establishes policy for managing federal information resources, including electronic records, and applies to recipients of federal funds.
Question 4: What does 'vital records' mean in the context of municipal records management?
- Records stored in a climate-controlled vault
- Records essential to resume operations after a disaster (Correct answer)
- Records older than 50 years
- Records containing personal health information
Correct answer: Records essential to resume operations after a disaster
Vital records are those essential to resuming government operations following a disaster, such as financial records, property records, and personnel files.
Question 5: A city clerk needs to migrate paper records to a digital format. What must be done to ensure legal admissibility of the digital copies?
- Store originals alongside digital copies indefinitely
- Follow ANSI/AIIM imaging standards and document the scanning process (Correct answer)
- Use only cloud storage certified by the state
- Have each digital file notarized
Correct answer: Follow ANSI/AIIM imaging standards and document the scanning process
Following ANSI/AIIM standards and maintaining documentation of the scanning process ensures digitized records meet legal admissibility requirements.
Question 6: Which retention category applies to records that document governmental policy decisions of lasting historical significance?
- Transitory records
- Convenience copies
- Permanent records (Correct answer)
- Administrative records
Correct answer: Permanent records
Records documenting major policy decisions and governmental actions of historical significance are classified as permanent records and must be preserved indefinitely.
Question 7: A municipal clerk discovers a box of unlisted records with no retention schedule entry. What is the best first step?
- Immediately destroy the records to free storage space
- Identify the records series and request a schedule amendment from the state archives (Correct answer)
- Transfer the records to the mayor's office
- Scan all records and delete the originals
Correct answer: Identify the records series and request a schedule amendment from the state archives
Unscheduled records should be identified and submitted to the appropriate records authority to determine the proper retention period before any disposition occurs.
CMC Records Management & Retention 2
Under NARA standards, what is the primary purpose of a records retention schedule?