A brain made out of metal gears above the phrase RIM Brain in white letters on a black background.

RIM-Brain: Records of Christmas Past

There’s nothing like the holiday season to get you thinking about history and traditions. But have you ever pondered the of role government records in documenting yuletide events? A recent history documentary sparked some Christmassy RIM-brain for me. It’s beginning to look a lot like records and information management (RIM) everywhere you go! In the…

Udemy logo.

Udemy: A Video Learning Resource

Did you know that there is a free resource available through your local library to help you learn relevant skills needed to be an effective records manager? All you need is a library card! What is Udemy? Udemy is an online video learning platform. It’s one of the free TexShare databases offered at participating Texas…

A vinyl record on a blue background with the words Off the Record and the TSLAC logo in white.

Off the Record: Fire

Welcome back to our occasional series “Off the Record,” a curated collection of articles we found interesting on a broad range of topics; some which are directly related to records management and others which might share common themes. No, we didn’t write these articles—hence the name of this series, “Off the Record”— but, fortunately, we…

Playing cards spread out on a table.

Texas, Hold ‘Em! A Review of Destruction Holds

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…

Welcome

Adding to Our Team

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…

Yellow sparkers in the shape of '2023' on a black background.

Records Management New Year’s Resolutions

The beginning of the new year is a time for reflection and planning for the coming months. What records management goals do you have for 2023? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking. In honor of the season, let’s do a little countdown… 3. Find Community Records management can be a lonely business.…

Welcome

Adding to Our Team

The records management assistance team at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission welcomes our newest analyst, Raul Gonzalez! Read more about Raul who is now the point of contact for local governments in the West-South region of Texas. The West-South region is comprised of the following counties: Atascosa Frio La Salle Starr Bandera Hidalgo…

rocks balanced on top of eachother

How Long is “AV”?

For the most part, the minimum retention periods set out in TSLAC’s schedules provide a specific amount of time that records must be kept. However, some record series have the retention period “AV: as long as administratively valuable.” How long should governments keep those types of records? Well, each government will need to make that…