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Digital communications retention schedule

Version 3, adopted November 2022, expires end November 2024. A PDF version of this retention schedule, including full version history, is held in the EDRM Retention Schedules folder.


See an explanation of the 6+ Rule and all other standard disposition codes.

DIG 01.01: Providing council services through web-based software applications

Disposition: CASE+25 (closure point: decommissioning of application)

Example(s):

  • code from longstanding or significant applications may be offered to Derbyshire Record Office
  • archived website and application code (for example decommissioned Gold Card renewal application)

Rationale: Business need

Storage location: Shared network drive

Analysis

DIG 02.01: High-level performance analysis of online services/activities

Disposition: Permanent.

Example(s):

  • basic website statistics for council-run sites

Rationale: Common practice

Storage location: Within online system(s) while live; Record Office after export

DIG 02.02: In-depth usage analysis of online services/activities

Disposition: Permanent.

Example(s):

  • advanced website and digital campaign usage statistics

Rationale: Common practice

Storage location: Within online system(s) while live; Record Office after export

DIG 02.03: managing individual web pages

Disposition: D<1

Example(s): Derbyshire County Council web page, when taken down

Rationale: Business Need

Storage location: Content Management System

As soon as a web page is taken down, its contents become data in transit to final deletion, retained only until expiry of any automated waiting period imposed for disaster management, business continuity or data security reasons.

MAR 06.1: Monitoring the quality, efficiency, or performance of services

Disposition: 6+

Example(s):

  • work requests to the Digital and Web team by email

Rationale: Common practice

Storage location: Shared network drive

PR 02.02: Publishing information through email bulletins

Disposition: Permanent.

Example(s):

  • digital newsletters such as Our Derbyshire

Rationale: Business need

Storage location: Within online system(s) while live; Record Office after export

PR 02.02: Publishing information through social media posts

Disposition: Permanent.

Example(s):

  • Twitter posts from Derbyshire County Council corporate account

Rationale: Common practice

Storage location: Within online system(s) while live; Record Office after export

MAR 05.03: Providing information through social media private messages

Disposition: 6+

Example(s):

  • Facebook private messages to Derbyshire County Council page

Rationale: Business need

Storage location: Online social media platforms

Website

PR 02.02: publishing information through websites administered by the council

A static version of a web page or website should be retained permanently as 'the published work of the council' (see Communications and Public Relations retention schedule). As at 2022, this aspiration is fulfilled by the actions of the British Library, which regularly captures archive copies of our websites, including the public-facing sections of the Our Derbyshire site. In future, permanent retention may independently be effected if data is scraped and held in a digital preservation system at Derbyshire Record Office as part of the council archive. An archival copy represents a 'snapshot' of the website at the time of capture only, as retention of evidence for every change to a website is not practicable. Data capture should ideally be carried out at 5-year intervals, and whenever there are major transformations of the site's content or structure.