Prepare Boxes for Transfer
Transfer or Recall Records
Storage optimized for access and preservation
Our storage specialists have decades of experience storing and retrieving records, and have identified the following procedures to maximize the utility and longevity of each box. These standards apply to records going to both the Utah State Records Center and State Archives.
How to prep your boxes
1. Prepare Records
Replace any hanging file folders or three-ring binders with labeled manila folders. This allows a box lid to fit snugly, and allows the Records Center staff to retrieve individual files in the future when recalled by the agency.
Remove rubber bands.
2. Put records in Archives boxes
Arrange the records in State Archives boxes the same way they were arranged in the office. Don't create a new filing system.
Limit box contents to one record series, even if there aren't enough records to fill the box.
If materials are oversized or will not fit in a State Archives box, contact the Records Center at 801-525-3020 to make special arrangements.
3. Check filled boxes
Boxes should not be over-packed: there should be enough room for you to easily retrieve a file from the box, and the lid should fit snugly atop the box.
4. Add a box inventory
Create an inventory of each box's contents:
- Place a printed inventory inside each box to identify its contents.
- Keep a copy of the inventory (digital or paper or both) in the office in a well-known location so others can find it in the future.
- The inventory should be specific enough that an employee at your agency could identify the file(s) they're looking for, just by looking at the inventory. Common elements to include are file dates, case names/numbers, project names, patient names, etc.
5. Label the boxes
Label boxes with a large black permanent marker. Write the following information directly on the box:
- agency name and city
- record series number
- agency-assigned box number—use your own numbering system with unique identifiers within each series; for example:
- 2025-1, 2025-2, 2025-3
- 24-Alfred to Hutchings, 24-Hutchinson to Smith, 24-Smithson to Zelda
- MOU-25-001, MOU-25-002, MOU-25-003
- Optional: range of records in box. This can be a date range, name range, case number range, etc.
Note: Having thorough information written on the box makes box retrieval easier in the future.
If the other end of the box was previously labeled, cross off the old information so it's clear what is currently in the box.
6. Tape the lid
Use a single strip of packing tape to secure the lid, taping the short way across.
If you have any questions, please contact your records and information management specialist or the Records Center staff at recordscenter@utah.gov.
