Records Management Reminder: Most information we have access to is a “Public Record”
In King County, a “public record” is any information, regardless of format, that each of us creates, receives or maintains in connection with King County business. All public records must be managed and are potentially subject to public disclosure under the Public Records Act (RCW 42.56).
Many of our records though are transitory, which means that they have short term or temporary value, and can be destroyed at any time. Best practice is to identify and destroy transitory records as soon as they are no longer needed.
For more examples, review the Transitory Records Guidance. Some specific examples of transitory records are listed below:
- Accepted meeting notices
- Out-of-office replies
- Neurons ticket notifications
- Spam
- Personal / Non-work related records
- Newsletters you receive (including this one!)
- External reference material
- Most duplicate copies
- Drafts that don’t document substantive changes
For more information, visit the County Records and Information Management Program (CRIMP) website or contact them at Records.Management@kingcounty.gov.
