Regardless of format, all official records needed to be managed according to the rules outlined in the Carleton University Retention Schedule. This includes paper and digital records, and even important emails. When you receive an email containing valuable information that does not exist in any other format, be sure to save it and store it alongside any related information, such as in a project folder within a shared network drive.
One of the reasons why emails are such useful, insightful records is that they highlight a progression of work, where an idea gradually evolves. For this reason, you should make sure that all relevant discussion has concluded prior to saving the final email that captures all of the content. Be sure to save all attached information from this conversation thread alongside the email as well.
An email’s original file format (.eml, .msg, etc.) typically opens directly from the email application where it was received from, which is not ideal for a record that needs to be unchanged for the sake of the preservation of information. For this reason, we recommend saving an email as a .pdf file, by navigating to “File”, then “Print”, and then selecting “Microsoft Print to PDF” as your printer (if you are using outlook on a PC Computer). Saving as a pdf preserves the formatting of an email as it appears in your email application.
To learn more about managing email records and other important administrative tasks, check out the Records Management for Departmental Administrators Toolkit, which focuses on these concepts and much more!