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Definition of a Government Record

The Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) defines "records" as follows:

§ 41-151.18. Definition of records
. . . "records" means all books, papers, maps, photographs or other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, including prints or copies of such items produced or reproduced on film or electronic media pursuant to section 41-151.16, made or received by any governmental agency in pursuance of law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by the agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations or other activities of the government, or because of the informational and historical value of data contained in the record, and includes records that are made confidential by statute. Library or museum material made or acquired solely for reference or exhibition purposes, extra copies of documents preserved only for convenience of reference and stocks of publications or documents intended for sale or distribution to interested persons are not included within the definition of records as used in this article.

All records media are included in this definition from the traditional paper forms to electronic types not yet even invented.

Preserved or appropriate for preservation refers to whether the document has value sufficient to place into a file and index it in a manner to facilitate later retrieval. The term does not assume any retention period or any need for permanent preservation.

Materials specifically excluded from this statutory definition are:
. . . Library or museum material made or acquired solely for reference or exhibition purposes, extra copies of documents preserved only for convenience of reference and stocks of publications or documents intended for sale or distribution to interested persons...

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