Records and public records
Stockholm University is a public authority and as such hold public records, sometimes referred to as public documents. The University must follow legal requirements to manage, store and care for our public records, so that they can be accessed and read throughout the period during which they are held.
On this page you will find an overview of what we mean by ‘records’; which records are considered public records and which are not public records.
Record
A record (handling) is a physical medium that contains information of some kind. According to the Freedom of the Press Act (Tryckfrihetsförordningen) (1949:105), a record is a written or visual representation that can be read, listened to or otherwise perceived by technical means. In other words, a record can be: a written document, a photograph, an audio recording, a CD, a USB stick, or a database.
Document/working paper/draft
Swedish law differentiates between public records and records which are not public, which we will refer to as ‘documents’.
A document can be a draft or concept for an official decision, letter or report as well as memoranda. An example of a memorandum is a recording that has been created solely for the presentation or preparation of the matter. A memorandum can also be the notes you make for your own recollection at a meeting.
N.B. If meeting notes are distributed to other meeting participants, they turn into a public record/official document.
You are not required to save, preserve och archive these records and they should be ‘culled’ (rensa), i.e. deleted. However, a document that adds factual information to the case and is needed to understand the case should still be preserved.
Public record/official document
A record is considered a public record if:
- it has been received into the public authority or
- sent externally from the public authority or
- drawn up (written/created and signed or similarly considered complete) at the authority
and is considered to be stored at the authority. The general rule is that public records must be preserved or in some cases saved for a specified length of time.
If a document is sent externally or taken care of for archiving, it becomes a public record.
Registry of Public Records (diarium)
Many public records must be registered in the Registry of Public Records. However, this is not a requirement for it to be considered to be a public record.
Disposal of records
Public records may be deleted/destroyed, but only in certain circumstances and in accordance with regulations and University decisions. Stockholm university need to ensure that our records satisfy:
- the public's right of access,
- the needs of the administration of justice and administration,
- the needs of research.
The needs of the business are not regulated by law, but it is important to also take this into account when evaluating information.
In general, public records are accessible to the public and can therefore be disclosed in response to a request for disclosure of a public record.
Confidential record/information
The Public Access and Secrecy Act (2009:400) also contains provisions on how authorities must register, disclose handle public records.
When a public record has been requested by a member of the public, a confidentiality assessment must be done before disclosure. Information must be disclosed unless there is a relevant exemption in the Public Access and Secrecy Act.
The Freedom of the Press Act (Tryckfrihetsförordningen 1949:105)
The Archives Act (Arkivlag 1990:782) (only available in Swedish)
Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (Offentlighets- och sekretesslagen 2009:400) (only available in Swedish)