Anywhere from a few days to a few months.

The time it takes to set up a series varies depending on an agency’s preparation, whether there’s an applicable general retention schedule, and the workload of the DARS (Division of Archives and Records Service) RIM (records and information management) specialist. Some series are set up in just a few days, while others may take multiple months to be finalized.

Here are some tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible:

• Gather all the information needed to complete the series submission form. Leaving blanks requires additional clarification, which may slow things down.
• Find a general retention schedule that applies to your records, even if it has a different retention than you need. The general retention schedule will be used for reference.
• Find other series which are similar to yours. These can be used for reference.
• Plan ahead! The Records Management Committee meets on the fourth Monday of each month, and submissions are due the Tuesday prior. Plan for at least three additional weeks beforehand to get your series set up with the DARS RIM specialist and go through the internal DARS review.