Updated March 3, 2022

TSLAC updated Bulletin 1: Electronic Records Standards and Procedures in 2017, and since then, we’ve been gathering resources to provide guidance to state agencies trying to fulfill the requirements of the bulletin. The bulletin was rewritten to be intentionally higher-level and broad, to allow for more considerations of electronic records in a general sense, instead of referencing specific technologies and nitty gritty details. The heart of these rules is that any electronic record maintained by a state agency needs to be accessible and readable for the full retention period. Benjamin Barlow and I collaborated to create a list of resources and some sample templates to help both state agencies and local governments develop their e-records programs. While Bulletin 1 only applies to state agencies, we feel the resources are helpful to anyone managing e-records.

When you go to the resources page for Bulletin 1, you’ll find several things that you can reference to help you in shoring up the management of your e-records. One thing you’ll find is a set of policy templates you can download and use to create your own policies for your state agency or local government. One template is for general e-records policies, one is for email use and retention, and the last is for social media.

The other thing you’ll find on the page is a list of e-records resources from other states, countries, and professional organizations, covering topics from permanent electronic records to vital designations to final disposition. We hope that these are helpful in providing more information and practical guidance to records management staff trying to establish or update their e-records programs. If you have a resource you’ve found helpful that might make a good addition to our list, leave it in the comments below!