You grab your popcorn and snuggle down under a blanket to watch your favorite sci-fi movie or fantasy show. For a moment, you are whisked away from mundane reality—only to be brought back down to earth when the characters seem to be acting out scenes from your own workplace. We call this state of mind:…
Records and information management programs are at the heart of every organization. Records contain information that staff need to continue operations, complete daily tasks, and provide reasoning for an organization’s actions. Good records and information management ensures that stakeholders are satisfied that they have proper access to the information they need. Additionally, protecting records ensures…
Here at TSLAC we spend a lot of time teaching Texas governments about the benefits of timely disposition. It’s equally important for governments to understand when records should not be destroyed. These situations are called: destruction holds. Normally, records may be destroyed when they have met their full retention period as described on each government’s…
It’s April, and that means spring is here! With spring, comes spring cleaning! Out with the old and in with the new. In the Records Management (RM) world that means it’s time to tidy up our records management systems, make sure the team is involved, make sure retention periods are up to date, or start…
The records management assistance team at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission welcomes our newest analysts, Sahar Arafat-Ray and Sebastian Loza! Read more about Sahar who is now the point of contact for local governments in the West-North region of Texas. The West-North region is comprised of the following counties: Archer Eastland Montague Tarrant…
More than 7,800 House and Senate bills were filed this session. Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is again tracking those bills with the potential to affect the retention and disposition of government records in Texas. For the 88th Legislative Session, we identified about 110 bills that change retention periods, modify reporting requirements, or…
Understanding what meets the definition of a “local government record” is important for a local government employee (especially a Records Management Officer). This is because your entity’s local government record is a record that you’re required to keep for a certain amount of time based on laws, rules, and standards associated with the Texas State…
This is a cross-post from the Archives and Information Services blog Out of the Stacks. Through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) has partnered with the American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) to offer free registration to their popular online course, Basics of Archives from March 27…
You are cordially invited to the annual Local Government Records Management Officer meeting. When: Thursday, April 20, 9:30 a.m. – noon Where: Online via Zoom Calling all records management officers and records professionals serving local governments across Texas! The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) wants to meet with you. Due to the size…
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we wanted to acknowledge the ten things we love about records management. From Webinars to Teamwork, analysts Joslyn Ceasar and Raul Gonzalez wrote about 5 things they each love about records management, and what those things mean to them. Joslyn Ceasar: Joslyn’s approach was to records management and Valentine’s Day…
When entering the records management world, it doesn’t take long to figure out that it is generally difficult for records leaders to obtain buy-in from others in their office. We’ve heard from many records leaders that staff don’t feel records management is pertinent to their job’s responsibilities, the term “records management” sounds too dated to…
The records management assistance team at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission welcomes back Erica Wilson-Lang! Erica is returning as an analyst after a hiatus. Read more about Erica who is now the point of contact for local governments in the Central region of Texas. The Central region is comprised of the following counties: Bastrop…
In this new year, we want to remind everyone of the resources the Records Management Assistance Unit has for local governments and state agencies. Trainings In person training is back and ready to go! Some examples of our training includes Records Management Basics for both State Agencies and Local Governments, tips and tricks for disposition,…
