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CLOSED ON PRESIDENTS DAY: The Library will be CLOSED on Monday, February 17, 2025, for Staff Training.

The Wadsworth Ella M. Everhard Public Library, like other public entities in the State of Ohio, must retain certain records from year to year. Although the Ohio Revised Code does not set guidelines for public libraries, the Board of Trustees of the Wadsworth Public Library adopts the following policy for records retention:

Records shall fall into two categories: Permanent and Non-Permanent. Retention of records may be any commercially viable media that provides an accurate reproduction of the record. The following list shows the retention period of specific records, which is compiled from recommendations from the Auditor of State's Office and the Ohio Historical Society.

Permanent

Annual Financial Report to the Auditor of State

Annual State Library Report

Audit Reports from the Auditor of State

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Board of Trustees Meeting Packets

Building Blueprints

Building Specifications, Plans and Projects Records

Construction Contracts

Disaster and Pandemic Plans and Emergency Procedures (Most recent revision)

Employee Personnel Files (Purge extraneous records 2 years after termination)

Formal Legal Opinions

Historical Files

Intellectual Freedom Correspondence

Library Newsletters

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System Personal History Records

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System Reports

Operating Procedures (Most recent revision)

Partnership Agreements

Payroll Records

Payroll Tax Records

Strategic Plans

Technology Plan (Most recent revision)

W-2 Forms

Non-Permanent / Retention Period

1099 Forms (Paper) / 7 years

1099 Forms (Electronic) / Permanent, until software replaced

Accident/Incident Reports / 5 years, provided no pending action

Accounts Receivable Documentation / 5 years, provided audited

Accounts Payable Documentation / 5 years, provided audited

Administrative Policies and Procedure Files / 1 year after superseded

Amended Official Certificates from the County Budget Commission / 5 years, provided audited

Annual Appropriations Resolutions / 5 years, provided audited

Annual Budget Requests filed with the County Budget Commission / 5 years, provided audited

Annual Certificate of Estimated Resources / 5 years, provided audited

Annual PLF Distributions & Apportionment of Tax Revenues / 5 years, provided audited

Applications for Employment / Retain with personnel files if applicant employed; others 1 year

Appropriations Ledgers / 5 years, provided audited

Asset Disposal Forms / 5 years, provided audited

New Asset and Asset Transfer Forms / Until asset is disposed of

Bank Deposit Receipts / Until audited

Bank Statements / 5 years, provided audited

Bids — Successful /15 years after completion or expiration of contract

Bids — Unsuccessful / 4 years after Letting of Contract, provided audited

Board of Trustees Applications / 1 year

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes (Drafts) / Until approved for Permanent Records

Board of Trustees Meeting Packets (Electronic) / 5 years, provided audited

Board of Trustees Policies / 1 year after superseded

Cancelled Checks / 5 years, provided audited

Cash Journals / 5 years, provided audited

Cash Register Tapes / Until audited

Certificates of Total Amount From All Sources Available for Expenditures / 5 years, provided audited

Check Registers / 5 years, provided audited

Committee Reports (Staff) / 1 year

Construction Contracts (Electronic) / Permanent, or until software replaced

Consultant & Survey Reports / 5 years

Correspondence/Messages (Executive correspondence; personnel, fiscal, policy information) / 2 years, appraise for historical value

Correspondence/Messages (Minutes or internal/staff meetings documenting decision-making decisions) / 2 years

Correspondence/Messages (General correspondence, misc. inquiries, ongoing project updates) / 1 year

Court Orders for Payroll Deductions /2 years after termination of employee or order
rescinded

Daily Cash Receipts Documents / 5 years, provided audited

Deferred Compensation Deduction Reports / 5 years, provided audited

Depository Agreements & Related Pledged Collateral / 5 years, provided audited

Direct Deposit Authorizations / Until superseded or termination of employment

Employee Manuals (Personnel Policies) / Until superseded

Employee Medical/Dental/Vision Applications and Records (Retained separately from personnel files) / 7 years after termination of employment

Employee Leave/Use Balance Reports / 5 years, provided audited

Employee Requests for Leave / Until audited

Employee Schedules / Fiscal year plus 2 years

Employee Tax Withholding Requests: Federal and State / Until superseded or termination of
employment

Encumbrance and Expenditure Journal / 5 years, provided audited

FSA & HSA Deduction Reports / 5 years, provided audited

Garnishment Orders / 2 years after termination of employment or order rescinded

Gift Donor Forms / 3 years

Grant Files / 5 years, provided all audits conducted and audit reports released

I-9 Immigration Verification Forms (Retained separately from personnel files) / 1 year after termination of employment

Inter-Library Loan Records /30 days, unless financial obligations

Insurance Policies / 2 years after expiration, provided all claims have been settled

Inventories (Excluding library materials) / Until superseded

Investment Documents / 5 years, provided audited

Invoices (Accounts Receivable) / 5 years, provided audited

Job Descriptions / Until superseded

Job Postings/Advertisements / 1 year, if no action pending

Leases - Equipment / 2 years after expiration

Levy Campaign Documents and Work Papers / Life of Levy plus 5 years

Levy Official Files / Life of Levy plus 5 years

Library Card Applications / Until entered into the library’s automation system

Library Materials Inventories / Maintained online; until superseded

Library News Releases / Until of no administrative value

Litigation Records / 5 years after case is closed and appeals exhausted

Lost Materials/Fine Records / Removed from patron history once paid

Misc. Accounting Records, not specified / 5 years, provided audited

Operating Procedures / Once superseded

Patron Information/Records / 2 years after expiration, provided no outstanding fines and fees

Payroll Audit Reports / Until audited

Payroll Deduction Authorizations / Until superseded or employment terminated

Petty Cash Records / 5 years, provided audited

Prevailing Wages Records / 5 years, provided audited

Public Officials’ Bonds / 2 years after expiration, provided all claims settled

Public Records Requests / 2 years

Purchase Orders & Requisitions / 2 years, provided audited

Real Property Acquisition Records / 5 years after asset is sold

Receipt Books / Until audited

Receipt Journals / 5 years, provided audited

Records Commission/Records Disposal Documents / 10 years

Safety Manual / Until superseded

Security Camera Footage / 1 Months, automatically rerecords

Security Manual / Until superseded

Service Contracts / 12 years after expiration

Service Contracts (Electronic) / Until software replaced or contract superseded

Software Destroy / when obsolete

Strategic Plan (Electronic) / Permanent, most recent revision

Tech Devices Checkout Agreements / Until expired and equipment returned in good condition and fine free

Technology Plan (Electronic) / Permanent, most recent revision

Time Sheets / 5 years, provided audited

Time Sheets (Electronic) / Until printed and submitted to Payroll

Transient Material (All informal and/or temporary messages and notes; including e-mail and voice mail messages, and all drafts used in the production of public records) / Discretionary; retain until no longer of administrative value

Unemployment Compensation Claims / 5 years, provided audited

Vehicle Maintenance Records / Life of vehicle or until sold

Vouchers with Invoices / 5 years, provided audited

W-9 Forms 5 years, provided audited

Workers' Compensation Claims / 7 years after termination of employment

Regardless of format, electronic back-ups of any of the above referenced records shall follow the same retention period as paper records, if not defined above.

“Until Audited” and “Provided Audited” is defined as the Auditor of State, or other contracted auditors, have audited the fiscal years encompassed and the audit report has been duly released.


adopted: 12/2004 | revised: 12/2010, 8/2012