Non-record
Information or materials that do not meet the definition of a record — such as convenience copies, drafts, blank forms, and published reference material — and so are not subject to records retention requirements.
Not everything an organization creates or holds is a record. Non-records are materials that do not document business activities in a way that requires them to be retained as evidence. Common examples include extra copies kept for convenience, true drafts that did not inform a decision, blank forms and templates, published materials kept only for reference, and routine notices or spam.
Because non-records carry no retention obligation, they can generally be discarded when no longer useful, without reference to a retention schedule. Identifying non-records accurately is valuable: it reduces clutter and storage cost and keeps the focus on genuine records. The risk lies in misclassification — labeling something a “draft” or “copy” when it actually documents a decision makes it a record regardless of the label.