Records Management Services at the Harvard University Archives offers training and workshops on records management topics.
Sessions are open to employees from Central Administration, Harvard College, graduate schools, research centers and institutes, and affiliated Harvard entities. Staff at the Longwood Medical Area and Harvard Business School are served by local archives and records management programs.
Registration will become available as sessions are scheduled.
Get Notified of Upcoming Trainings
Introduction to Harvard’s Records Schedules (Self-Paced)
This training, available via the Harvard Training Portal, introduces staff, faculty and administrators across the University to Harvard’s records schedules. These important policy tools provide guidance for all Harvard staff and faculty on how long records must be retained. You will learn how to navigate Harvard’s online records schedules interface and how to apply the records schedules in your work at the University.
This course will:
- Define a University record
- Introduce employee stewardship responsibilities
- Explain what records schedules are
- Explain how to use the records schedule interface, including how to search and browse
- Explain how to read a records schedule
Introduction to Harvard’s Records Schedules (Zoom)
This instructor-led training complements the self-paced training available via the Harvard Training Portal. It offers a brief introduction for staff, faculty and administrators across the University to Harvard’s records schedules, and provides attendees with the opportunity for a live Q&A with Records Management Services staff.
Who should attend: All employees who want to effectively manage their office's administrative or program records.
What you will learn:
- What a University record is and all employee’s stewardship responsibilities
- What records schedules are and how to use the records schedule interface, including how to search and browse
- How to read a records schedule and apply its guidance to records in your office
Trash or Treasure: Guidance on Retaining Your Office Records (Zoom)
Have you ever wondered, "How long do I need to keep my office records? Can I throw them away when I am done with them?" This workshop provides tools and advice to help you determine how long to keep your records and what to do when you no longer need to hold onto them. Whether you feel like you’re drowning in information or you're concerned that you're keeping records too long or not long enough, this workshop is for you.
Length: 90 minutes
Who should attend: All employees who want to effectively manage their office's administrative or program records.
What you will learn:
- What the resources are to help determine how long to keep your office records
- What to do with records when they are no longer needed by your office
- How to use Harvard's guide for records commonly found across the University
Out of Sight: Off-Site Records Storage (Zoom)
This workshop will present the step-by-step process of sending records to off-site storage at the Harvard Depository. We cover everything from how to pack a box to how to complete the deposit paperwork.
Length: 90 minutes
Who should attend: Employees who have not yet sent records to storage as well as anyone in charge of packing and depositing boxes who would like a refresher course.
What you will learn
- How to identify records eligible for storage
- How to pack and label boxes correctly
- How to complete the paperwork
- How to retrieve records back to your office
Prerequisite: You should be familiar with the General Records Schedule (GRS) and how to apply it to your records before taking this class. To gain this prerequisite knowledge, complete the Introduction to Harvard’s Records Schedule training, via the Harvard Training Portal, prior to attending.
Email Management & Retention (Zoom)
This workshop will introduce methods for gaining control of email and managing it according to Harvard records policies as well as provide tips on how to organize your email.
Length: 90 minutes
Who should attend: All employees who want to effectively manage their email.
What you will learn
- Methods of controlling email
- The application of the General Records Schedule to email
- Examples of types of email with their appropriate retentions
Prerequisite: You should be familiar with the General Records Schedule (GRS) and how to apply it to your records before taking this class. To gain this prerequisite knowledge, complete the Introduction to Harvard’s Records Schedule training, via the Harvard Training Portal, prior to attending.