We advise you on file management and storage.
After the respective administrative processes in your institution have ended in accordance with the valid rules of procedure, all related files must first be stored by you. There are different storage periods depending on the type of record. They are regulated in detail by the current directive Richtlinien der Kanzlerin und des Rektors über Aufbewahrung, Aussonderung, Archivierung und Vernichtung von Akten (2022, Directive on Safekeeping, Selection for Discarding, Archiving and Destruction of Files of the Chancellor and the Rector). Before and after the expiration of these periods, the following applies without exception: Before destroying files, or even the selection for discarding, contact must be made with the University Archive. Before further action is being taken by you, it must first be decided on – in consultation with you – about the respective storage periods, i.e. which documents are to be stored by you for how long, which records are to be submitted to the University Archive, and which can ultimately be destroyed. The final decision on destruction is made exclusively by the University Archive.
Furthermore, the following law applies here: Archivgesetz Nordrhein-Westfalen (Archive Law North Rhine-Westphalia)