What the Public Record Disposal Schedule is

1. The period a record needs to be kept by the department/agency.
   
   
2. When a record should be disposed of.
   
   
3. When a record should be transferred to the National Archives
   
   

The schedule covers all types of records created by a government department/agency and contains information such as subject, contents and disposal action to be taken upon completion of the storage period.

What Public Records are

Under the National Archives Act 2003, "public records" are defined as "records officially received or produced by any public office for the conduct of its affairs or any public servant or employee of a public office in the course of his official duty and include the records of any government enterprise and also include all records which, on the coming into operation of this Act, are in the custody or under the control of the National Archives when it was instituted under the National Archives Act 1966 [Act 511]."

Why the Schedule is Important

1. To create a systematic, efficient and effective record management system within each department/agency.
   
   
2. To identify records which have research/historical value to be kept in the National Archives as research material.
   
   
3. To enable the department/agency to immediately dispose of records which are no longer valued in accordance with set regulations.
   
   
4. To identify important government records.
   
   
5. To save costs in terms of equipment and office space.
   
   
6. To overcome the problem of lack of space.

How the Schedule is Prepared

1. The Government Department/Agency's Action

• Appoint a Record Officer.
• Seek advice from the National Archives or its branches.
• Establish a Public Record Disposal Schedule Committee.
• Collect information about acts, organisations, functions and activities relating to the department/agency.
• Identify the kinds of records existing within the department/agency.
• Fill out the Record Inventory (a sample of the form can be obtained from the National Archives).
• Examine the records to determine their worth.
• Suggest a storage period and disposal action.
• Obtain confirmation from the head of department/agency.
• Submit three copies of the Record Inventory form to be checked by the National Archives.
• Distribute the Record Disposal Schedule to all divisions for implementation after approval is obtained from the National Archives.
• Review the Record Disposal Schedule every five years.

2. The National Archives' Action

• Prepare a draft of the Public Record Disposal Schedule based on the Record Inventory received from the department/agency for review by the National Archives Inventory/Public Record Disposal Schedule Committee.
• Obtain approval of the schedule from the Director-General of the National Archives.
• Prepare a copy of the approved schedule to be distributed to the department/agency.
• Submit a copy of the Record Inventory to the department/agency.

The preparation of the Public Record Disposal Schedule is important and must be given priority by the department/agency. Cooperation between the department/agency and the National Archives of Malaysia is vital for its success.