How to retrieve records from the State Records Center

Although government records stored at the State Records Center in Clearfield are no longer actively referenced within your office (meaning they are used less than once a month), you may recall them whenever needed. This happens for a variety of reasons: There may be a GRAMA request for records that are housed in the State Records Center, a student may be requesting a transcript years after they’ve graduated, there may be a case file needing some additions. These requests may be for a single file or multiple files; a whole box or multiple boxes.

If you are recalling files, not boxes, separate retrieval forms need to be submitted for each file, even if they are in the same box. Once the request has been received by the Record Center staff, the records will be sent to the requester within two business days. If the files requested are so large in volume that they fill more than half the box they are stored in, the Record Center staff will send the entire box to maintain record order. If the file cannot be located, the Record Center staff will contact your office.

To locate individual files in a box, it is important that the agency provide Record Center staff with the exact file name as it was filed. As discussed in the last blog post titled “How to send records to the State Records Center”, these records are in the agency’s custody, therefore the files must be organized by the agency before transfer. Keeping an inventory of each box’s contents in the office and in the box will make it easier to retrieve files. You can organize the files by case number, by category or subject, alphabetical by last name, chronological order, or geographical order.

When you receive the file, there will be a file request form on the front. Do not remove it. Return it with the file so the Record Center staff can refile it correctly. If the file request form is not returned with the records, then the Record Center staff will not have the necessary information to re-file the records. The records will be returned to the agency until the proper organizational information and box details can be determined.

Are there any questions you have about using the Record Center? Let us know!