Open Forum

Hi all, 

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with file retention in their museum. I'm specifically wondering about the retention period for files created for exhibits, reference requests, emails and/or written correspondence - both collection and non-collection related, etc. How do you determine the period of retention - permanent or a set number of years? If they are digital files how are you storing them/specific platform/specific format, etc.? We are a state agency and so we are looking to our state archivist as well as the state retention schedule, but I'm also interested in other institutions and their process for determining retention. 

Thank you in advance for the help!

Hi all, 

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with file retention in their museum. I'm specifically wondering about the retention period for files created for exhibits, reference requests, emails and/or written correspondence - both collection and non-collection related, etc. How do you determine the period of retention - permanent or a set number of years? If they are digital files how are you storing them/specific platform/specific format, etc.? We are a state agency and so we are looking to our state archivist as well as the state retention schedule, but I'm also interested in other institutions and their process for determining retention. 

Thank you in advance for the help!

Hi Kendall,

I was recently brought into the Museum of Flight WA and we are starting to look more closely at our own file retention policies. We currently do not have an organization archivist (someone who's focus is on retaining Museum of Flight documents) but we have a really good collections archivist and team. I work in Development and we are currently trying to figure out the best practice for retention for donor acknowledgement letters and correspondences. We are currently following the IRS 7 year policy, so we recently removed any files where donors who are lapsed members who have not donated or communicated with us since 2014 or earlier.

We have also been stumbling across documents that collections and archives wants such as funding plans for museum wings/buildings, exhibits, events. I am unsure how long they are keeping those documents.

Our archivist sent me a File retention calendar she was able to put together with templates from the internet, some examples to follow.:

• Annual Fund Files retain 5 years
• Capital Campaigns keep
• Grant file, only awarded grants, last 3 years of paperwork for 5 years
• Mailed in donations and their notes/remit slips are saved digitally forever on our server.

But we are still figuring this out. I am excited to see what other organizations are doing.

Hi all, 

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with file retention in their museum. I'm specifically wondering about the retention period for files created for exhibits, reference requests, emails and/or written correspondence - both collection and non-collection related, etc. How do you determine the period of retention - permanent or a set number of years? If they are digital files how are you storing them/specific platform/specific format, etc.? We are a state agency and so we are looking to our state archivist as well as the state retention schedule, but I'm also interested in other institutions and their process for determining retention. 

Thank you in advance for the help!

Hello-

The Society of American Archivists' Museum Archives Section has a list of museum records retention schedules: https://www2.archivists.org/groups/museum-archives-section/3-records-management. I've found these useful for starting to update our retention policies and schedules here at DMNS. Hopefully it's of use to you too!

Hi Kendall,

I was recently brought into the Museum of Flight WA and we are starting to look more closely at our own file retention policies. We currently do not have an organization archivist (someone who's focus is on retaining Museum of Flight documents) but we have a really good collections archivist and team. I work in Development and we are currently trying to figure out the best practice for retention for donor acknowledgement letters and correspondences. We are currently following the IRS 7 year policy, so we recently removed any files where donors who are lapsed members who have not donated or communicated with us since 2014 or earlier.

We have also been stumbling across documents that collections and archives wants such as funding plans for museum wings/buildings, exhibits, events. I am unsure how long they are keeping those documents.

Our archivist sent me a File retention calendar she was able to put together with templates from the internet, some examples to follow.:

• Annual Fund Files retain 5 years
• Capital Campaigns keep
• Grant file, only awarded grants, last 3 years of paperwork for 5 years
• Mailed in donations and their notes/remit slips are saved digitally forever on our server.

But we are still figuring this out. I am excited to see what other organizations are doing.

Hi all, 

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with file retention in their museum. I'm specifically wondering about the retention period for files created for exhibits, reference requests, emails and/or written correspondence - both collection and non-collection related, etc. How do you determine the period of retention - permanent or a set number of years? If they are digital files how are you storing them/specific platform/specific format, etc.? We are a state agency and so we are looking to our state archivist as well as the state retention schedule, but I'm also interested in other institutions and their process for determining retention. 

Thank you in advance for the help!

Hi all, 

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with file retention in their museum. I'm specifically wondering about the retention period for files created for exhibits, reference requests, emails and/or written correspondence - both collection and non-collection related, etc. How do you determine the period of retention - permanent or a set number of years? If they are digital files how are you storing them/specific platform/specific format, etc.? We are a state agency and so we are looking to our state archivist as well as the state retention schedule, but I'm also interested in other institutions and their process for determining retention. 

Thank you in advance for the help!