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Records Management Fundamentals

What do I do if a record that should exist cannot be found when someone requests it?

A missing record is one of the harder moments in records management. The record may be misfiled, miscataloged, undescribed, or genuinely lost or destroyed. Your job is to search systematically, account for what you find, and respond honestly to the person who requested it.

Search before you conclude

A record that “cannot be found” is often only misplaced. Before declaring it lost, conduct a reasonable and documented search.

  • Check the systems where the record should live, plus likely alternates (shared drives, email, backups, archives, off-site storage).
  • Search by multiple identifiers: title, creator, date range, matter or case number, and known variants or misspellings.
  • Ask the people who created or last used it, and confirm whether it was transferred, digitized, or moved.
  • Consult the relevant retention schedule. If the applicable retention period has expired and the record was lawfully destroyed, that is an outcome you can document with confidence.

Document what you did

Whatever the result, record your search itself. Note where you looked, what terms you used, who you asked, and what you found. This documentation is the record of due diligence, and it matters greatly if the request is tied to a legal obligation.

If the record was destroyed, identify whether it was destroyed under an authorized schedule or improperly. Authorized destruction is normal lifecycle management; unauthorized destruction may need to be reported under your organization’s policies or applicable law.

If a record genuinely no longer exists, say so. Under public access regimes such as FOIA, an agency is generally expected to perform an adequate search and may state that no responsive records were found; it is not required to create records that do not exist. Requests touching personal data may also carry obligations under the Privacy Act.

If the record relates to litigation, an investigation, or a legal hold, treat a missing item as serious: notify counsel promptly, because inability to produce held records can carry consequences.

Prevent the next loss

Recurring “can’t find it” problems usually signal weak intake, naming, classification, or capture practices. Strengthening those controls is the durable fix.

For broader context, see the fundamentals topic hub.

Sources & further reading

Authoritative government and non-profit references.

How to cite this page

APA

RM University Editorial. (2026). What do I do if a record that should exist cannot be found when someone requests it?. Records Management University. https://www.recordsmgmt.org/questions/what-to-do-when-a-record-cannot-be-located-for-a-request/

MLA

RM University Editorial. "What do I do if a record that should exist cannot be found when someone requests it?." Records Management University, 16 June 2026, www.recordsmgmt.org/questions/what-to-do-when-a-record-cannot-be-located-for-a-request/.

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