POB contributor Jeffrey Turner, in his article entitled "Breaking Records in Surveying", addresses the issue of how to handle a surveyor's historical records. Are all those old hard copy maps and plans just taking up space and in need of being tossed? Or are they actually valuable archives that should be retained for future use by your company or by another surveyor who can benefit from obtaining your data? In this age of ever-growing local and cloud storage capacities, he makes a valid case for scanning documents and maps for electronic storage and distribution, whether or not the originals are retained.
Archival storage of paper records is a concern, and does carry with it a genuine cost; our own company has constructed a storage building just to avoid the recurring monthly fees of rented storage space. However, those costs must be weighed against the cost of NOT having the documents when they are needed, especially since a significant portion of most surveyors' business is returning customers. "Remember when you surveyed that place for me back in '81?" When that question arises, it's incredibly beneficial to be able to pull the file with all of the related notes from that original survey!
So while there is some merit to saving money by tossing out or destroying paperwork that is no longer needed, as Jeffrey notes, "It can take a lifetime to build a business and only one dumpster to haul it away." Read his full article at POB Online.