How to manage students’ union records and archives
If you are not sure how to get started in managing your archives and records, or would like a refresher, the steps below can a useful starting point:
Step 1: Consider basic records management rules and best practice
Records and archives are linked closely together – better records management will lead to better archives management. You can begin by implementing some records management rules and best practice:
- Ensure a named post in the students’ union has responsibility for records and archives and their ongoing care and management. Include this in their job/role description.
- Ensure that sabbatical officers and other elected student leaders know about records and archives, and what their responsibilities are. Make sure you include this in officers’ induction and training.
- Organise records into a structured filing system with folders and sub-folders arranged by activity. Do not mix different activities together in the same folder as this will make later disposal more complicated. Avoid duplication by only saving a document in one place.
- Give folders and files sensible file titles that reflect the content, including the date. Avoid folders titled things like ‘Sarah’s Files’, or ‘Old Files’. Use activity focussed titles such as ‘Board Minutes 2024’, or ‘Sabbatical Election Papers 2023’.
- Use dates, draft and version numbers on your key records such policies, meeting minutes, and formal reports. For example, ‘Health and Safety Policy v1.0 12062024’
- Consider how long records need to be kept for, including which records are impacted by specific legislation (e.g. financial records, staff records, health and safety records). Set retention periods for those records so you know when to dispose of them.
- Assess which records have historical value and therefore should be retained permanently as part of your archive. You can talk to an archivist about this – see section on ‘Further help and advice’. Only transfer records when they are no longer required for current business activities, and they have been assessed as having historical value.
- Hold regular records management days where you a) dispose of records that should no longer be retained, according to the retention rules you have identified, and b) arrange for transfer for records to your archive.
- Create an inventory list of the records that are in storage before they are scheduled for disposal and the records you have allocated as having historical value for transfer to your archive.
Step 2: Consider how to preserve and protect your records and archives
- Think about the storage of your digital archives – a process called digital preservation. Where are your digital records stored, and do you have back up processes in place? Do you save them in multiple places – such as on a server, on a hard drive, and in the cloud? What formats do you use most frequently (.doc/.jpg/.pdf) and how can you make sure these remain openable over time?
- If you have physical records/archives, store them in an appropriate space for records storage – where there have been no previous leaks or water issues, and preferably with stable temperature and humidity – not too hot and not too humid or damp.
- Choose a space that is secure and lockable to prevent unauthorised access, and consider fire prevention methods for the space, or at least for the most valuable records, such as a fire safe filing cabinet.
- Store your physical records/archives on shelves in closed boxes and do not put them on the floor. In boxes they are protected from general dust and dirt and have some protection from water from above. If there was a flood, boxes on the floor might get water damaged.
- Protecting your records/archives also involves knowing what you have and where it is located. Create a list that includes an overview of the contents of each box with covering dates and a storage location.
Step 3: Think about where your students’ union archive should be located
Consider whether you want to keep your students’ union archive within your organisation, or whether these can be stored and made accessible in another organisation. While some students’ unions feel they have the resources to keep the archive in-house, others look to an external organisation to manage this for them.
If you keep your archive collection on site you should consider carrying out archives management processes including cataloguing, packaging using archive standard materials, and making the archive accessible for research.
Alternatively, you can donate or deposit a collection with an archive service, which in many cases might be run by your own Higher Education Institution (HEI). Donation usually involves transferring ownership, while deposit means that you retain the ownership.
Keeping archives in-house
Advantages:
- Ease of internal access for staff, volunteers and trustees at the students’ union
- The students’ union retains control over the records and how they are stored and accessed
Disadvantages:
- The students’ union remains responsible for physical and digital storage, and such storage conditions might not be ideal
- People in the students’ union might not have the skills, time or resources to look after physical and digital archives properly or to catalogue the contents
- Researchers cannot easily access the records
Depositing/donating to an archive
Advantages:
- Professional management, including listing and cataloguing of contents
- Easily accessible for research and other uses such as teaching and engagement
- Expertise on preservation of digital and physical archives
- Costs such as insurance covered by the holding organisation
- Frees up storage space in the students’ union
Disadvantages:
- Less immediately available for internal use
- The students’ union needs to consider future transfers and staff need to maintain a relationship with the archive service
Transferring the students’ union archive to an archive service – options:
University archive service
Many HEIs (but not all) have an archive service or special collections department who might be a good partner to work with on the long-term management of the archive. They are already set up to manage records, have the expertise and facilities to look after physical and digital records, and have a focus on both caring for collections and making them accessible for a range of purposes.
Local Records Office
If your HEI does not have an established archive service, does not feel they can take the records, or you think the students’ union archive should be kept separately from the HEI, then your Local Records Office might be a possible alternative. The staff at the Local Record Office will be able to give you advice about looking after archives and how they might be able to support you.
Find an archive
To find whether your HEI has an archive service, or find the contact details for your Local Records Office you can use the Find An Archive service on The National Archives website: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/find-an-archive
Terms of Deposit/Donation
If you are thinking about depositing your records at an archive, talk to the archivist or librarian about the terms of donation or deposit, with reference to ownership, access and how the process works in practice.
- Ownership and Deposit agreement – Transferring your archive to another organisation does not have to mean you no longer own the archive. Your agreement will set out the terms of the deposit/donation including ownership, intellectual property, and copyright.
- Access to the records – You will still be able to access the archive even if it is transferred to another organisation. You can discuss access arrangements and this can be set out in the terms of deposit/donation.
- Other access to the records – The records do not have to be open for research immediately, and the security of records and relevant legislation should always be taken into account. You can request a closure period for records so that there is a delay before they are made available to others for research purposes. The collections should be assessed for GDPR and other intellectual property risks.
- Process for adding new records to the archive – You might want to consider how and when you will add any additional records to the archives and set out a process for this to happen, for example, a new set of records could be transferred every 5 years.
Jargon Buster
Catalogue – an archive catalogue is a formal description of the contents of an archive collection designed to make the collection accessible to researchers. It is usually structured in a hierarchy and follows standards of archive description such as the International Standard of Archival Description (General), known as ISAD (G). Essential elements that should be captured in a catalogue include reference number, title, dates, name of creator, and extent.
Deposit – the process of transferring records to an archive where the originating organisation retains ownership of the records.
Donation – the process of transferring records to an archive where the originating organisation also transfers legal ownership of the records to the archive service.
Disposal – the action taken at the end of the lifecycle of a record, which might be destruction, or might be transfer to an archive service for permanent preservation.
Ephemera – materials that were originally designed to be used for only a short period or particular purpose, but are then collected and added to an archive. This might include flyers, leaflets, posters, ticket stubs and postcards.
Digital Preservation – action aimed at permanently preserving digital records to ensure that they remain accessible for as long as possible.
Historical value – an assessment of importance given to records to justify their continued preservation due to the informational, evidential, legal or other information they contain.
Retention Schedule – a document that sets out the recommended length of time records should be retained with references to legislation where applicable.
Go to our ‘Additional resources’ page to find some additional sources of guidance.