Maps and plats play a huge part in how a municipality is laid out, zoned, developed, and built. Maps assist in navigation of the municipality, while plats establish the boundaries. Because these record types can seem similar, it is sometimes difficult for local government employees to identify an appropriate retention series on the Local Government…
When it comes to census records, most Americans are aware the Census Bureau conducts the decennial census count of the population in the United States. This count is mandated by law in the US Constitution as a way to not only count the population, but also to aid in determining governmental representation and the distribution…
Goddess of Liberty at the State Capitol, February 1888 (Austin History Center) In this edition of Remarkable Records, we are going to look at photographs that document local governments and state agencies. Photographs capture a moment in time as a visual representation that represent infrastructure, events, and people that help to shape the state we…
For all state agencies, no matter the size, the Records Management Officer (RMO) is an essential member of the agency staff. And, while the RMO position was first established in 1997 (75th Leg., R.S.), the relatively new position of Data Management Officer (DMO) was established in 2021 (87th Leg., R.S.). Designating a DMO is required…
In the State and Local Records Management Division (SLRM) here at TSLAC, we receive a lot of questions in regard to permanent records. “Why do they need to be saved?” “How should permanent records be stored?” “What do we do if there is any damage?” To begin to answer these questions, it helps to learn…
When facing the task of recertifying or amending a state agency or public university records retention schedule, whether it is annually, biennially, or most often, quinquennially, there are different metaphors Your Helpful Government Information Analyst may use to think about how the assignment can be approached. Some of the metaphors an analyst might consider are…
Folksonomy and Taxonomy: two classifications, one new and one old, that are the often-overlooked building blocks of records management. They not only help organize and classify information, but are also essential to successful records management. What is Folksonomy? Folksonomy is a fairly new term created in 2004 by Thomas Vander Wal and is a portmanteau…