Offsite Storage; the State Records Center and Access

Off-site storage is the storage of inactive records in a facility other than the normal place of business. Off-site storage is an economical, safe, environmentally-sound and secure storage option for university offices needing to manage their records off-site. Additionally, off-site storage meets vital records/disaster recovery and security needs and typically offers secure and safe disposal.

The preferred Off-site storage center for inactive university records is the State Records Center (SRC). The SRC is an inactive records storage facility operated by the Wisconsin Department of Administration and is available to all state agencies.

After an approved records schedule or RDA has been established, departments may transfer records to the SRC for storage until their retention time expires. After the approved retention time has expired, the SRC will carry out the recommended disposition; normally this is disposal of the record boxes or transferring the box to the University Archives for preservation in accordance with the records retention schedule.

The SRC is not an archival facility. In other words, they do not accept records for permanent preservation.

Records for research and grants should be closed before sending to the SRC so that the records are destroyed in accordance with the schedule and with proper event dates.

The SRC is a program revenue operation and does charge for its services. However, there is no direct cost to University departments, except for those departments that accrue program revenue. For those departments that will be direct billed, the current rate schedule may be found on the SRC website.