Archiving Policy
The guidelines set out the mandatory archiving procedure at the University of Göttingen (excl. the University Medical Centre Göttingen). Please note: This page has been automatically translated and may therefore contain errors. This translation is not legally binding.
Guidelines on the Archiving of Written Records (excluding University Medical Center Göttingen)
Source: Amtliche Mitteilungen, Ausgabe 8 (26.03.2026) Seite 135 (Official Notices, issue 8, 26 March 2026, p. 135)
Your point of contact is the University Archive Göttingen: it accepts documents worthy of archiving and provides assistance with all matters relating to archiving. Archived documents may be requested from the University Archive for official use.
Contact
University Archive Göttingen
archiv@sub.uni-goettingen.de
§ 1 Scope
(1) The Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (excluding UMG) (hereinafter: the University) sets out the rules governing archival matters in this policy, in accordance with the provisions of the Act on the Preservation and Use of Archival Material in Lower Saxony (Lower Saxony Archives Act – NArchG).
(2) The University Archive of Göttingen (University Archive) serves as the archive for all departments of the University, including the student body, as well as the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Foundation under Public Law. It is operated by the Lower Saxony State and University Library of Göttingen (SUB Göttingen) as a special organisational unit. The Head of the University Archives shall decide on technical matters arising from the implementation of this guideline.
(3) The following provisions shall not apply to personal documents and research data of university staff engaged in teaching and research within the meaning of the University of Göttingen’s Research Data Guideline.
§ 2 Definitions
(1) In accordance with Section 2(1) of the NArchG, documentary records comprise files kept in written form or stored on machine-readable data carriers, together with their attachments, business records, deeds and other individual documents, maps, plans, drawings, sketches and posters, seals and stamps, image, film and sound recordings, card indexes and files, including the systems and procedures required to evaluate the documentary material. This includes, in particular, database contents.
(2) According to Section 2(2) of the NArchG, archival material is written material of lasting value for the fulfilment of public duties, for the safeguarding of legitimate private interests or for research (‘material worthy of archiving’).
§ 3 Scope of the Archiving Obligation
(1) The departments referred to in Section 1(2) must, at regular intervals, offer all documentary records in their possession to the University Archives for transfer in their original condition. The disposal of any part of the documentary records requires statutory authorisation. It is prohibited to withhold, sell or destroy documentary records without authorisation.
(2) Records from completed administrative processes must be offered in their entirety in a form that preserves their content (files). For records maintained in ongoing electronic registers such as databases, file repositories and email inboxes, data exports that are complete in terms of content must be offered at intervals to be agreed with the University Archives.
(3) The University Archives fulfils archiving purposes in the public interest. Insofar as the documents have been transferred to the University Archives as archival material in accordance with Section 5(3), such transfer shall take the place of the erasure of personal data pursuant to Article 17 of the GDPR.
§ 4 Time of Archiving
(1) Documents must be archived if:
1. their retention period has expired. Unless otherwise specified by statutory or administrative provisions, the retention period is 15 years and may be reduced to 5 years, provided this is sufficient given the nature of the file’s contents. The University Archives must be informed of any shortened retention periods.
2. they are no longer required for official purposes, provided that no retention period has been specified,
3. but at the latest 30 years after the last substantive processing.
(2) If the archive material is subject to a retention period of more than 30 years (e. g. examination papers), the University Archives shall, in the event of transfer, ensure its safekeeping from the date of handover until the expiry of this period.
§ 5 Archiving Procedures
(1) Every two years, the department making the offer in accordance with Section 3(1) shall review which parts of its records are due for archiving in accordance with Section 4, and shall notify the University Archives of these without being asked, in the form of an electronically readable list.
(2) The University Archives shall determine which parts of the documents offered are eligible for transfer on the basis of their enduring practical, legal or historical value (assessment). For the purposes of this assessment, its staff shall have access to the premises where the records are stored, as well as to all inventory lists and metadata relating to the records.
(3) The University Archives shall notify the submitting department in writing of which parts of the submitted records are to be accepted as archival material. The relevant records must be handed over to the University Archives without delay. The remaining parts of the documents must be destroyed without delay in an appropriate manner. Destruction prior to receipt of the notification referred to in sentence 1 is not permitted.
(4) The bodies referred to in Section 1(2) are obliged to submit a copy of the brochures, posters and leaflets they have published to the University Archives without being specifically requested to do so.
§ 6: Simplified Procedure
(1) Central university departments and other bodies referred to in Section 1(2) that generate particularly large volumes of records may, in consultation with the University Archives, opt for a simplified archiving procedure. To this end, they shall make available to the University Archives an inventory of all their records, setting out the prescribed retention periods, in the form of an electronically readable list.
(2) The University Archives shall make generalised determinations regarding the items on a list pursuant to paragraph 1 as to whether they constitute archival material. It may waive the future submission of certain items. The resulting binding list shall be permanently documented by the University Archives and made available to the submitting department.
(3) Every two years, the submitting department shall, without being asked, hand over to the University Archives the documents identified as archival material in the list. The remaining documents must be destroyed immediately in an appropriate manner.
(4) Section 5 shall not apply.
§ 7 Use
(1) Bodies required to make records available may request original archival records formerly in their possession from the University Archives for inspection, provided that this is not prohibited by law. Archival records made available in accordance with the first sentence must be returned to the University Archives in their original form within four weeks at the latest.
(2) Archival records are made available to other persons as defined in Section 5(1) of the NArchG upon request. In particular, the retention periods specified therein must have expired and the grounds for exclusion must not be met. The application must be submitted in electronic form via the online platform provided by the University Archives. The management of the University Archives shall decide on the application. Further details are governed by the current terms of use for the SUB’s Manuscript Reading Room. Special agreements may be made for the purposes of research and teaching at the University.
(3) Insofar as the NArchG allows other persons to apply for an exemption from the grounds for refusal under paragraph 2, this requires the consent of the body that transferred the documents. If that body no longer exists, the consent of the body that has taken over its functions is required.