>> Identifying owners of records belongs NOWHERE in the company records retention schedule but is essential elsewhere, particularly in RM policy.<<

Office of Record has been a part of retention schedules since I got into this effort some 30+ years ago.  It is not used for every record series but is extremely valuable entry for items that have widespread distribution.  Consider things like BOD materials.  They may be distributed to business functions and individuals across the organization.  The office of record in this case indicates which business function is responsible for maintaining the official copy for retention purposes.  All others are considered to have convenience copies and should dispose of the copies as soon as the intended use is done.  In most retention schedules I am familiar with, there is a separate retention timeframe for the "Unofficial Record" copies.

Without the Office of Record designation, all of the recipients, would be required to retain the materials for the timeframe identified in the schedule.  Those who have had experience with large scale litigation and regulatory reviews understand that retaining all of the copies is a major ediscovery issue.  Production of 50 copies of BOD agendas, board books, and minutes is much more difficult than production of the record copy.  And then there are the times the requesting party requires documentation detailing when each of the original recipients disposed of their respective copies outside of the designated retention timeframe.

Other examples of where Office of Record is commonly used include contract, project, employee, training and financial files.

Bill Roach, CRM

Opinions are my own and not those of my employer or any other individual or entity.

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