Another major difference of importance to records managers is the status of faculty and the records they create.  By tradition research records generated by faculty belong to the faculty members rather than the institutions that employ them.  This also holds true for documentation faculty create to support their teaching efforts.  If Professor Jones moves from the University of Texas to the University of Kansas she will in most cases be taking her research documentation and projects with her. When he she retires it will often be her choice as to where she wishes to place her "papers" or she may if she wishes retain them on her own or have them shred.

There has been some change in this due to grant restrictions but this usually has more impact on reports rather than raw data and research project management documentation.

It is also well known that faculty do not take direction easily or well.  They will often see such "interference" as a violation of their academic freedom.

A key element of any records management program is the ability to enforce compliance.  What do you do if someone refuses to comply with policy (beyond documenting that fact).  For tenured faculty members there are few options to force their compliance.

As an aside I once worked at a University Library where a tenured faculty had several thousand books checked out and refused to return them.  His position was that they were in a language that only a handful of people at the University could read (true if a bit exaggerated). He felt that he knew everyone who might benefit from these volumes and that it made more sense for them to be in his office than in the library.  The library director spoke to him on several occasions but could not get this professor to change his position.  The Library director than tried to have his paycheck held up until the books were returned.  The university refused based on a legal interpretation of state law.  Finally the library director got maintenance service to open up the professor's office, at night when no one was around, and he had the books removed to the library.  The Professor was not very happy but now he was the one with few options.  The Library director also terminated the Professor's borrowing privileges.

From my way of thinking this is a sad and typical example of the down side of university life.

David Gaynon

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