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Paper Records: Keep or Destroy After Scanning?

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One question I get asked a lot is: “Do most firms destroy paper documents after scanning them?”

First, every firm retains the paper documents for 60 to 120 days to ensure there’s no need for a re-scan or perhaps a scan of a page that might have been skipped. Essentially, the idea is to retain the paper until the underlying transaction is complete: The invoice has been paid, the beneficiary information has been updated, the account has been opened, etc. You also have to ensure that a full commit cycle in your enterprise content management (ECM) system has been completed and that the backup and disaster recovery systems have been updated.

Once those activities are complete, now comes the real question: To destroy, or not to destroy the paper? The laws and regulations vary, but generally there are provisions that permit the destruction of paper documents if the electronic document is properly “cared for” (lots of lower-level details here, so I’ve intentionally chosen the term “cared for” so as not to be more specific).

I’d estimate our clients are split 60/40 on this question. About 60 percent are destroying the paper documents, while the remaining 40 percent continue to put the paper in a storage facility. Some use microfilm as the media for their images, and most of these firms destroy the paper as well. And of course those that have begun using electronic images as their official records still have boxes upon boxes of historical paper records to manage, because the cost of performing a backfile conversion is prohibitive, given the infrequency of retrieval.

Yet the tide is slowly turning toward destruction of paper documents. Firm by firm, records managers and their operations counterparts are winning the approval from legal counsel to begin destroying paper documents.

So it’s 2010, and the ability to scan documents has been in use since the mid-1990s. A grand total of 15 years later, we have just 60 percent of the firms destroying paper documents. Now fast-forward to 5 years from now. Vast quantities of your content are stored in SharePoint, but also archived in a records management system. What do you think: Will you get the okay to delete the SharePoint content?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Comments

Submitted by Greg Cook October 13, 2010 - 2:08 PM

Creating an electronic "convenience copy" is fully legal. This helps allow multiple people in your organization to access the same information and prevents physical damage from occurring to the original copy.

But, if I'm not mistaken, rulings have been made that define which copy is the "legal copy". If both the original hard copy is kept and an electronic copy is created in an electronic document management system, then the original hard copy is the legal copy of the document.

This means that if any legal action is taken against you, you are supposed to produce the original hard copy of the document. This can get very costly if those hard copies are kept for long periods of time and are kept offsite at a DR site.

As you stated, it is important to check what regulations apply to your organization and ensure you aren't setting yourself up for a problematic future storing both copies.

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Submitted by Jon Slough October 13, 2010 - 5:56 PM

Having been in ERM from more 8 years, I have found that most organizations don't have a written retention plan, or a written plan they can verify is followed.

Check with your county as will as your state as there may be local restrictions on the destruction of hard copy records.

One county in an mid-western state has an ordinance that was created in 1894 that states you must meet with their County Records Board (Also called the County Retention Board) before you can destroy any paper records, especially if you are a school, government offices, or large corporation with more than 24 employees!

Without a written record retention plan that you can verify is being followed by your organization, you have a little chance of getting approval for hardcopy destruction from these County Records Boards.

After you have done your due-diligent search of regulations, set up and follow a records retention plan, get the correct approval(s), then you can safely destroy those old paper records.

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Submitted by Harjit Singh January 16, 2011 - 2:14 PM

The definition and scope of the word "document" and "legal copy " went on changing with the change in document technology. Decades ago, a primary evidence was the only one copy that is created originally and bears the original authentification. All other copies were considered as secondary evidence. With the developement of typing and copying process, every copy that is generated or created simultaniously with the original one in a well established process is also a primary copy. Now with the advent of electronic documents, some courts are allowing electronic copy as an original/primary one. Though paper copy and electronic copy are considered almost similar but technically those are non-identical due to having different formats. In the coming years, the electronic copy will replace the paper copy. If the document is properly scanned, saved and secured then paper copy could be destroyed. To cover one's whole risk, one could retain the signature/authentication page in case the execution of that document is questioned.

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SharePoint - document scanning

Submitted by tom jones September 29, 2011 - 9:52 AM

Firstl I think as a Microsoft engineer that SharePoint is notthe best for lots of content. Sage CRM is very good and easy to upload scanned documents in an orderly way. Also Sharepoint is slow. However there are a nubmer of comopanies offering sharepointarchive technology to deal with long term sharepoint storage. document scanning price calculator

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