In archives, which term describes records that are no longer in possession of their original custodian?

• A. Records that are duplicates
• B. Records stored offsite
• C. Records created by others
• D. Records no longer in possession

Answer: (D)

In archives, this term is used to describe records that have left the original custodian’s control and are now under a different custodian or location. When records are no longer in possession, they have transferred custody, so they’re not available in the original repository or to the original owner unless a transfer chain is documented. This status is important for tracking provenance, accountability, and access rights, since the authority to manage, access, or dispose of the records rests with the current custodian.

The other phrases don’t capture the custody status: duplicates are copies of records; offsite storage is a location and doesn’t necessarily mean the records aren’t in possession; records created by others refers to origin rather than custody.