What is a non-record?

A non-record is information or material that does not meet the definition of a record — that is, it doesn’t document an organization’s activities, decisions, or obligations in a way that must be kept as evidence. Because non-records carry no retention obligation, they can generally be discarded when they’re no longer useful, without reference to a retention schedule.

Common categories

• Convenience copies — extra duplicates kept for easy reference while the official “record copy” lives elsewhere.
• True drafts — working versions that did not inform a decision. (A draft that did shape a decision can itself be a record.)
• Blank forms and templates.
• Published reference material kept only for information.
• Routine notices, spam, and personal messages.

Why the distinction matters

Identifying non-records accurately keeps a program lean and focused on genuine records, reducing storage cost and clutter. The risk lies in misclassification: calling something a “draft” or “copy” doesn’t make it a non-record if it actually documents a decision or transaction. The safest practice is to identify the official record copy for each type of information — so duplicates can be confidently treated as convenience copies — and to judge by content and function, not by label or location.

Drawing the record/non-record line clearly, and training staff to apply it, is one of the highest-value, lowest-cost steps a records program can take.