‘Records management’ is both a discipline and a dedicated function at SOAS that ensures the School creates, structures and maintains records of its activities in ways which support business efficiency, legal requirements and the rights of individuals.

A ‘record’ is recorded information, in any form, created or received by SOAS staff to support and show evidence of SOAS activities.

These pages provide key information about records management at SOAS, including links to our Records Management Policy and Records Retention Schedule , which work together to help ensure that our colleagues across SOAS can create, locate, access, use, store, retain and dispose of corporate information appropriately, and how this contributes to enhancing information compliance and data governance within the School.

We have also provided information about the additional records management services and support available internally to our professional services, teaching and research staff, as well as the on-going management and development of SOAS’s Corporate Archive.

Key reads

SOAS recognises the management of its records as crucial to the effective function of the School.

Our Records Management Policy sets out how we do this. It states SOAS's commitment to the effective management of its corporate information and records, and provides a framework through which we are working to achieve this.

Our Records Retention Schedule lists all of the core records SOAS creates or receives in the course of its activities along with the length of time they should be kept for legal, evidential, operational or historical reasons, and how they should be handled at the end of their retention period. It is updated on a regular basis and is currently under review. Current staff and students can access the interactive version here on MySOAS .

What we do

  • Ad hoc tailored advice
  • Supporting our Local Information Officers
  • Developing internal policy, procedures and engagement initiatives
  • Staff training and coaching
  • Oversight of off-site paper records storage
  • Archival records transfers, administration and enquiries.

Records Management at SOAS is principally supported by the Records Manager and Archivist, who sits within the Information and Technology Directorate, in the Information Compliance team - part of Business Change and IT Governance. The post is well positioned to understand and respond to the changing needs of staff and students and to help the School excel within a challenging and rapidly-changing information landscape.

Help and guidance for staff and students

Current users can access all of our procedural guides, advice and training materials on MySOAS .

Control your records before they control you. Check out our 10 Top Tips to help you get control over the information you work with every day.

Not found what you were looking for?

  • For letters confirming student status (for Council Tax, Banking, visa etc) and official stamps are issued by the Weston Student Hub.
  • For Transcripts or Certificates, please contact the Exams team in Registry.
  • For information about making a request under the Freedom of Information Act, please visit our FOI page .
  • To make a request for personal information under the Data Protection Act, or for more information about how SOAS processes the personal data that it receives, please visit our Data Protection page .

Page last updated: May 2021