1-5.1 Record

A Postal Service record includes information relating to the Postal Service or its business recorded in any medium (e.g., a hard copy or electronic document; recording in electronic, audio, video, or photographic format; tangible item; or other material) that is created, maintained, or received by Postal Service employees, business partners, and suppliers under the custody or control of the Postal Service. A record that is of a purely personal nature is not a Postal Service record. Legal holds may apply to Postal Service records as well as personal records.

Active record — Information that is used for conducting current business.

Inactive record — Information that is not used for conducting current business, but for which the retention period has not yet expired.

Permanent record — A record determined as having sufficient historical or other value to warrant continued preservation. All other records are considered temporary and must be scheduled for disposal.

Temporary record — A record determined to have insufficient value (on the basis of current standards) to warrant its permanent preservation.