Since 1972, the State and Local Records Management Division (SLRM) has operated the State Records Center (SRC) on Shoal Creek Boulevard in Austin. The original building included space to store more than 152,000 cubic feet of records, with an extension added in 1986 providing another 232,000 cubic square feet of storage for state agencies and local governments to store their hardcopy and microfilm records. However, by 2015, we were rapidly outgrowing our space.

In addition to SLRM, directors of the Talking Book Program (TBP) and the Archives and Information Services Division (ARIS) began to plan with executive leadership to find solutions to our space issues. In 2017, demand for TSLAC storage services increased due to changes from other state providers. The agency worked with state partners to undertake a feasibility study to determine how best to accommodate growth. The initial plan called for an expansion of the warehouse facility on Shoal Creek, building onto the south side of the existing structure. However, funding for that plan did not materialize during the 2019 or 2021 legislative sessions. In 2023, though, TSLAC worked with the state’s budget committee to secure funding for the construction of a new facility at an alternate site. A total of $210 million was appropriated to the Texas Facilities Commission to undertake this project for TSLAC. The new structure will house not only the State Records Center but also expand storage for the State Archives and provide new recording studios and storage for the Talking Book Program.

On May 7, 2025, guests including members of our Board of Commissioners, Director and State Librarian Gloria Meraz, Assistant State Librarian Tim Gleisner, State Archivist Jelain Chubb, State Records Administrator Craig Kelso, Director of TBP Ann Minner, guests from TSLAC, TFC, JE Dunn Construction, McKinney York Architects, DataCom Design Group, Broaddus & Associates, TGW Engineering, Coleman & Associates, and other special attendees gathered at Riggins Bend Road in Pflugerville at the site of the new records center to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. Guests heard remarks from Richard Glancey, Director of Government Relations with TFC; Mike Novak, Executive Director of TFC; Martha Wong, Chairwoman of TSLAC’s Board of Commissioners; Phil Emanuel, Vice President of JE Dunn Construction; and Al York, Principal of McKinney York Architects.

In addition to state-of-the-art records and microfilm storage for state agency and local government records, the new 242,000-square-foot facility will have:

• Six recording booths for volunteers to use in creating the audio materials used by patrons of our Talking Book Program and circulation space for those materials, as well as braille and large-print texts.
• Archival storage for our Archives and Information Services Division to preserve and maintain the historical and archival records of Texas government. Additionally, the building will have a conservation lab to repair damaged materials and a digitization component so that access to our over 200 million pages of archival documents can be increased.
• 100-person training facilities for records management classes, as well as other events like the annual State Agency and Local Government Records Management Officer Meetings. This will provide a spacious, modern element for fulfilling our duties to train RMOs and other records personnel on the aspects of records management, as well as allowing us to resume tours of our storage facilities as a part of those classes. Having an advanced, contemporary structure will give attendees an idea of features to look for when choosing a storage facility or constructing their own.
• Shredding services onsite to carry out the final disposition of items stored with us that have met their retention periods and can be destroyed. We anticipate that having these operations onsite will decrease the cost of destruction services, instead of utilizing a vendor for destruction (where costs will include things like materials, transport, etc.).

Additionally, we are increasing our storage capacity by about 117,000 boxes—our current facility allows for 383,000 boxes and the new SRC will allow for 500,000 boxes. We will continue to operate the warehouse at Promontory Point, which holds an additional 65,900 spaces. We are also excited about the expanded services we will be able to offer our customers when the new space opens for business. Stay tuned for updates!

Are you an SRC customer that has items eligible for destruction? Reach out to our team today to initiate the process of having those boxes pulled, verified, and destroyed by our friendly and professional staff! Remember that if you submit your destruction requests on or before July 31, 2025, we will honor this fiscal year’s prices even if we cannot pull and destroy your items before the new fee schedule takes effect on September 1, 2025. Check out the current fee schedules for this fiscal year’s rates!