Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In most cases the Add-in is disabled.

To enable this add-in go to Outlook – File – Options – Add-Ins

Click on the drop-down list next to Manage, change to Disabled Items, and click Go.

Select HP.HPRM.OfficeIntegration.Outlook Add-in and click Enable

Return to COM Add-ins and click Go.

Tick HPE Content Manager Add-in for Outlook and Click OK

If you have created a document by mistake or you have discovered an error in a student's file please
email uqcentralrecords@uq.edu.au

UQ’s corporate electronic document and records management system (eDRMS) is Content Manager (CM) formerly known as TRIM which is distributed by Micro Focus.

Permanent records which are no longer required for business purposes are transferred to the University's Archives.

Unfortunately, Records Governance does not have the physical space or staffing capacity to look after all of UQ’s temporary records, but can advise you about storage. 

Departments that require temporary storage for inactive records can store their records at GRACE Records Management. 

There is no standard minimum period for which records need to be kept. A common misconception is that records need to be kept for 7 years, but this is not the case. The minimum retention period depends on what activities of the University the records document. This can range from a few months through to permanent status.

The retention period is determined by the Retention and Disposal Schedules issued by Queensland State Archives.

It is unlawful to destroy University records before their required retention period has expired.

Use the Retention Schedules to determine how long your records must be retained by law.  If the age of the records is beyond the retention period add the details into the Records Disposal Approval form and Email to your Head of Organisation for evaluation and approval. 

Once approval has been granted the form should be emailed to RAMS for registration and the records themselves should be placed inside a secure document recycling bin.

Use Shred-X confidential bins for disposal of corporate records. 

Unfortunately you cannot throw away records before the stipulated retention period even if you have digitised or scanned them.  Scanned copies may be useful for reference purposes, or allow you to save room in your office by storing hardcopy records off-site, but you must still treat the hardcopies as official public records. 

UQ currently has permission to destroy hardcopies of student documents only which have been registered into CM.

Even if you do not have access to specialised records management software you can still set up a reliable records management system to assist you with meeting your legal obligations.

Some ideas include –

• Organising your shared drives and Outlook folders using a business classification scheme

• Physical files should also compliment the functions and activities used in naming your folders

• Use a document naming convention for shared drives

• Organise a regular audit

• Agree on procedures for deletion of files

• Use a Business Classification Scheme(BCS) to describe your system

HOW TO - TRIM - Quick Tip - Add a revision to TRIM

Emails which document business activity are records under the Public Records Act and as such should be managed as records and captured into a recordkeeping system.

Ideally, emails should be captured and managed in their original (native) electronic format. 

However, where there is no access to an electronic document and records management system such as CM, Emails should be printed and attached to a file to avoid accidental deletion or tampering or placed in suitable folders.

Management of Emails can be improved by synchronising the folder structure with your network drive and hard copy files.

Anyone can scan records, but there are various requirements you should aim to meet if you would like to maintain useful, digitised reference copies.  These are provided by Queensland State Archives and are available at under the heading Planning for Digitisation. If you are interested in scanning large volumes of paper there are several hardware and software options available.

We are happy to discuss these with you. Contact us at uqcentralrecords@uq.edu.au if you would like to discuss your options.

If you wish to add information to a student file please Email this to recordsmanagement@uq.edu.au ensuring that the Email subject header contains a document description and the 8-digit student’s unique number.

Records Governance Unit has a large collection of electronic and hard copy records including an extensive range of legacy and archival material.
Authorised staff can request access to this information through uqcentralrecords@uq.edu.au
Please provide as much information about the subject matter as possible so we can identify the relevant records for you.

Storage and Retention of Records Associated with UQ’s Seven Year Formal Reviews of Schools, Institutes and Centres