I'd suggest a combination:  keep the index as proof you had the data but
destroyed it according to your retention schedule.  And change the
status in the software to 'destroyed' - which will be a convenience if
someone asks about a specific matter, saving you from wondering and/or
spending time looking things up on the index.

Liz Allan
San Jose, CA 



-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Purington, Steven
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 11:14 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Best Practice for Disposition?

I am looking for the best practice for disposition. Specifically, how
should we handle the metadata regarding records that are destroyed
according to our retention schedule? Metadata, in this instance, refers
to the index of records in our RM software. This is for a law firm. We
have come up with a list of possible alternatives. I will list these
below and hope that some of you can recommend what you believe is the
best choice. If there is a better way to do this besides what I list,
please educate me. Thanks for any and all feedback. 

Upon destruction of the actual records, which of the following
alternatives is the best practice?

1. Destroy all information in the RM database regarding the records.
Leave nothing. This means that if anyone ever asks about the materials
in the future, nothing will be found.

2. Destroy all information in the matter, including the index, but leave
disposition documentation under the matter.

3. Change the status in the software to "Destroyed", which will leave
the file index but none of the content.

Thanks for any advice and assistance. We can see good and bad in each
alternative, so your ideas mean a lot to us.

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