Certified Building Official Management Practice Exam

What should be done with permanent records that possess no current or future worth?

1. They should be archived

2. They should be kept indefinitely

3. They should be continually purged

4. They should be transferred to a different department

The correct answer is: They should be continually purged

The appropriate action regarding permanent records that have no current or future worth is to routinely purge them. This approach is grounded in effective records management practices, which emphasize the importance of maintaining an efficient and relevant documentation system. By continually purging records that are no longer useful, organizations can free up physical and digital storage space, streamline operations, and reduce potential clutter that can obscure valuable information. This practice promotes better access to pertinent records by eliminating unnecessary documentation that no longer serves a purpose. While archiving records can play an important role in preserving valuable information for historical or legal reasons, the focus here is specifically on records lacking worth, which means they should not be preserved. Keeping such records indefinitely would simply result in burdening the organization with outdated information. Transferring records to another department may not resolve the issue of their lack of worth, as it does not address the necessity of retaining only valuable documentation.