Quick Tips on Disposal of Electronic Records

We know how to dispose of paper records. You can either destroy the records by burning or shredding them. Although these methods of destroying records may have been a viable option in the past, these same methods might not be enough to remove all traces of data from records being stored electronically. Before destroying an electronic…

What needs to be addressed in an E-Records Management Policy

Edited to update hyperlinks on October 5, 2021 Recently, many questions have been raised about how to establish a electronic records (e-records) management policy. One of the main questions we’ve received is what is covered within an e-records management policy. An e-records management policy enhances the organization’s policy on information management and storage.  A well-crafted…

Identifying and Protecting Essential Records

Picture this: After a seventh consecutive day of raining, there are flood warnings for the surrounding area—a common problem for central Texas— and your government building is in the flood zone.  Does work need to carry on regardless of the conditions? How do you ensure business continues? Imagine your office building has a suspected gas leak…

FAQ: What is a Countywide RMO?

Updated May 2020 If you work in a county government, you might have heard us use the phrase countywide RMO. Today’s topic is about who the countywide records management officer (RMO) is and what they do. The commissioners court designates an individual to serve as the countywide RMO. That person then serves as the RMO for…

Migration: How to Begin and Where to Go

Given the fast-paced nature of technology and how quickly systems and formats can reach obsolescence, inevitably state agencies need to migrate agency information, data, and records to newer systems and devices. Whenever TSLAC receives inquiries on this topic, it’s a Catch-22; the analysts exist to help and guide state agencies on records management, however the…

How to Determine Local Government Status

Hopefully I’m not revealing a huge secret when I say a large part of the analysts’ responsibilities involves receiving, reviewing and processing local government compliance paperwork. Considering there are over 10,000 local governments across Texas, it keeps us pretty busy, especially since we end up receiving local government compliance paperwork from entities and departments that…

Capturing Social Media Records

Once you tackle determining whether social media content are records, the job is not quite done; capturing social media records is an extremely important aspect to successfully managing the records. Social media capture helps guarantee your government body has access to the records for review, use and, ultimately, destruction at the end of its retention…