1. The Purpose of the Policy
The objective of the Preservation and Disposal Policy at Najran University is to provide a clear and organized framework aimed at ensuring the preservation of the documents and archives belonging to Najran University in a manner that maintains their integrity and usability for future use, while also ensuring the secure and legally compliant disposal of documents that are no longer of value or have expired, and achieving alignment with the policies of the National Archives and Documentation Center.
Specific Objectives:
- Information Protection: Ensuring the protection of documents and archives from damage, destruction, and loss.
Commitment to Laws and Regulations: Commitment to national and international laws and regulations related to preservation and disposal.Improve Administration: Improving the management of documents and archives within the university to achieve efficiency and effectiveness.Provide Access: Provide secure and privacy-respecting access to documents and archives as needed.Awareness and Training: Enhancing awareness of the importance of preservation and disposal through staff and student training.Continuous Evaluation and Improvement: Evaluate the effectiveness of the policy and improve it periodically to meet evolving needs.By achieving these goals, the policy aims to ensure that the university manages its documentary resources responsibly and effectively, contributing to the preservation of the university’s cultural and scientific heritage and that of the community.
2. Scope of the Policy
The scope of the Preservation and Disposal Policy at Najran University encompasses all documents and archives produced by or received by the university in the context of its academic, research, and administrative activities, and includes a variety of types and classifications of materials, which can be summarized as follows:
2.1 Administrative Documents
- Administrative Records: Include records for the senior administration, sub-administrations, and academic departments.
Financial Records: Include financial reports, invoices, receipts, and financial contracts.Human Resources Records: Include employee records, contracts, salaries, and performance evaluations.2.2 Academic Documents
- Academic Records: include student records, grades, academic programs, and schedules.
Research Plans: Include research papers, research projects, and research data.Publications: Include books, articles, reports, and other academic publications.2.3 Technical and Technological Documents
- Digital Data: Includes data stored on hard drives, servers, and cloud systems.
Electronic Documents: Include email, scanned documents, and other digital files.2.4 Cultural and Historical Documents
- Fine Arts: Includes paintings, models, and other artistic works.
Historical Evidence: Includes old photographs, maps, and other historical documents.2.5 Legal Documents
- Contracts and Agreements: Includes contracts with external parties, research agreements, and cooperative agreements.
Legal Records: Include legal documents, court judgments, and legal reports.2.6 Other Documents
- Student Activities Documents: Include records of student clubs, events, and competitions.
Related Documents: Include records for health, security, and maintenance services.3. Definitions and Terminology
- Documents: Any material produced or received by the university that contains information of administrative, academic, legal, or historical significance, including paper and digital documents.
Records: Documents that have been collected and preserved for the purpose of maintaining the information contained within for current or future use.Preservation: The process of protecting documents and archives from damage or loss through the application of specific procedures and methods to ensure their integrity and usability.Destruction: The process of destroying documents and archives that are no longer of value or that have reached the end of their validity in a legal and secure manner.National Policies: The policies and regulations established by national authorities relating to the management of documents and archives.Organizational Policies: The internal policies and procedures that the University has established to ensure compliance with national policies and to improve the management of its documentary resources.Responsibilities: The duties and tasks that each department or individual in the university bears with regard to preservation and disposal.Roles: The functions and tasks defined for each individual or department in implementing the policy.Procedures: The specific steps that must be followed to preserve or destroy documents and archives.Training: Programs of education and qualification that are provided for employees to ensure they fully understand the preservation and disposal policy.Awareness: Efforts to raise awareness and educate aimed at promoting awareness of the importance of preservation and destruction.Evaluation: A process for measuring the effectiveness of policies and updating them periodically.Improvement: The efforts made to improve the policy and develop it in line with the changes that occur in the administrative and technical environment.Compliance (Compliance): Commitment to national and international laws and regulations related to preservation and disposal.Approvals: Official approvals that must be obtained before implementing the policy.4. Alignment between the Najran University Policy and the National Archives and Documentation Center Policies
- Study of National Policies:
- Defining National Policies: Begin by identifying and analyzing national policies and laws related to the management of documents and archives.
Understanding Requirements: Understanding the specific requirements outlined in national policies and how they are applied to the university.
Current University Policy Assessment:
- Assessment of University Commitments: Assessment of current university commitments with national policies and identifying gaps.
Current Procedure Analysis: Analysis of the university’s internal procedures and policies to determine their alignment with national policies.
Development of Alignment Plan:
- Defining Objectives: Defining objectives aimed at achieving alignment between the university policy and national policies.
Develop an Action Plan: Develop a detailed action plan including the necessary procedures and tasks to achieve alignment.
Implementation of Alignment Plan:
- Update Policies and Procedures: Updating the university’s internal policies and procedures to align with national policies.
Employee Training: Providing the necessary training for employees to ensure their complete understanding of the new policies.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Alignment:
- Monitoring Implementation: Monitoring the implementation of new policies and ensuring their proper application.
Evaluation of Effectiveness: Evaluating the effectiveness of new policies and updating them periodically to meet changing needs.
Communication and Awareness:
- Communication with Relevant Parties: Communication with all departments and relevant parties to ensure their engagement with the new policies.
Awareness: Enhancing awareness of the importance of new policies and how the University is committed to national policies.
Legal Compliance:
- Compliance with Laws: Ensuring that university policies comply with all national laws and regulations.
Obtaining Legal Approvals: Obtaining the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities before implementing policies.
5. Preservation Procedures
It is a set of procedures and standards that must be followed to ensure the preservation of documents and archives in a manner that maintains their integrity and usability for future use.
- Identify eligible documents for preservation:
- Classify documents: Identify documents that need to be preserved based on their administrative, academic, legal, or historical importance.
Specify the Time Period: Specify the period during which documents should be retained based on applicable laws and regulations.
Secure Storage:
- Environmental Conditions: Providing suitable environmental conditions for storage such as appropriate temperatures and humidity.
Physical Security: Providing physical security for documents through the use of safes and secure storage areas.
Documentation and Classification:
- Organized Classification: Classifying documents according to a specific classification system to facilitate their access and management.
Accurate Documentation: Providing accurate documentation for documents, including details of the source, date, and content.
Backup and Archiving:
- Backup: Creating backups of digital and paper documents to prevent loss.
Archiving: Organizing digital and paper archiving operations to facilitate access to old documents.
Maintenance and Restoration:
- Regular Maintenance: Conduct regular maintenance of documents to prevent damage and deterioration.
Restoration: Carrying out restoration operations for documents that have been damaged in order to restore their original state.
Access and Usage:
- Access Policy: Establishing clear policies for accessing documents that balance desired access with information protection.
Responsible Use: Guiding users responsibly on how to handle and maintain documents.
Awareness and Training:
- Training: Providing training to staff on best practices for document preservation.
Awareness: To enhance awareness of the importance of archiving and how to contribute to the protection of documents.
Assessment and Improvement:
- Periodic Assessment: Assess the effectiveness of preservation measures and update them periodically.
Continuous Improvement: Working on improving preservation procedures based on technological and legal changes.
6. Destruction Procedures
It is a set of procedures and standards that must be followed to ensure the destruction of documents and archives that are no longer of value or that have expired legally and securely.
- Identify eligible documents for destruction:
- Classify documents: Identify documents that can be destroyed based on their lack of importance or expiration.
Specify the Time Period: Specify the period of time for which documents must be retained before being destroyed, based on applicable laws and regulations.
Documentation and Classification:
- Organized Classification: Classifying documents to be destroyed according to a specific classification system to facilitate the destruction process.
Accurate Documentation: Providing accurate documentation for documents before disposal includes details of the source, date, and content.
Legal Measures:
- Verification of Legality: Ensuring that the destruction of documents complies with applicable laws and regulations.
Obtaining Approvals: Obtaining the necessary approvals from the competent authorities before destroying documents.
Technical Procedures:
- Safe Demolition: Utilizing safe and effective demolition methods such as burning, tearing, or digital destruction.
Technical Documentation: Documentation of the technical procedures followed to destroy the documents.
Responsibilities and Roles:
- Defining Responsibilities: Defining the responsibilities of each department or individual within the university regarding the destruction of documents.
Define Roles: Define the roles of individuals and departments in carrying out destruction operations.
Awareness and Training:
- Training: Providing training to staff on best practices for document destruction.
Awareness: Enhancing awareness of the importance of destroying documents that are no longer of value.
Evaluation and Improvement:
- Periodic Evaluation: Evaluate the effectiveness of disposal procedures and update them periodically.
Continuous Improvement: Working on improving disposal procedures based on legal and technological changes.
7. Compatibility and Approvals
7.1 Compliance
Compatibility means ensuring that the university policy for preservation and disposal aligns with the policies of the National Archives and Documentation Center. This includes ensuring that all procedures and practices followed by the university comply with national and international laws and regulations related to the management of documents and records.
Steps for Compliance:
- Analysis of the National Archives and Records Center Policies: A study and understanding of the national and regulatory policies and laws related to the Archives and Records Center.
Assessment of University Policy at Najran University: Assessment of the university policy for preservation and disposal to determine its conformity with national and regulatory policies.Update Policy: Update the university policy to align with central policies, if necessary.Documentation: Documentation of the compatibility between the university policy and the regulations of the National Center for Documentation in the official documents of the university.7.2 Approvals
Approvals refer to identifying the relevant authorities that must approve the policy implementation. This includes obtaining legal and administrative approvals from the concerned authorities to ensure that the policy aligns with the laws and regulations and is enforceable.
Steps to Obtain Approvals:
- Identify the relevant authorities: Identify the internal, external, and regulatory authorities requiring approvals.
Application Submission: Submitting applications to relevant authorities with the submission of necessary documents and supporting materials.Follow-up on Requests: Following up on approval requests and communicating with relevant authorities to ensure timely approvals.Documentation of Approvals: Documentation of approvals obtained and maintained in the University’s official records.8. Note
“This policy is flexible and subject to amendment and update in accordance with new legislative and regulatory changes, and legislation issued by the National Archives and Documentation Center, and will be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure continuity of compliance with the latest legal and administrative requirements.”