This advice is provided to inform organizations that HAVE NOT implemented the General Disposal Authority for Source Records (GDASR).
Day batching, also known as day boxing, is the process of storing hard copy, original records in order of the date the record was received, scanned and captured into an organization’s recordkeeping system. Records are batched together on a daily basis regardless of the context, business or archival value of each record. This process is neither an effective nor an efficient records management practice.
Recommended best practice is for hard copy records created and received by organizations to be attached to an appropriate subject or activity based corporate file.
The State Records Office (SRO) does not recommend day batching for the reasons outlined below:
Disposal
Disposal becomes a prolonged process as neighbouring documents will have different retention periods. Day batching means that the organization must either:
- sentence every single document in a box ready for disposal; OR
- keep the entire box for the period of time required for the document with the longest retention period.
This could mean keeping unnecessary documents for as much as 50 years.
Storage
The organization will incur increased storage costs resulting from keeping a box of documents for the longest retention period, as described above.
Transfer of Archives
The SRO will not accept a box of assorted, loose archival records covering different subject matters. Archives must be transferred to the SRO “in context”, i.e. the records must be organized by the subject or activity to which they relate. Day batching means that the organization must expend further resources to properly organize archival records in readiness for transfer to the SRO.
For further information, contact the State Records Office
