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

Off the Record: AI

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…

The words "You Ask, We Answer" over two puzzle pieces labeled "Q" and "A" as well as the TSLAC logo.

Classifying AI-Generated Records

There’s no denying that AI (artificial intelligence) is the buzzword du jour. Have you ever wondered how to classify records generated by AI on your retention schedule? Whether or not your government entity is actively using AI, it’s a question worth considering. What is AI and Why Would My Government Entity Use it? According to…

Scrabble tiles spelling out MAKE and PLAN intersected.

File Plans: What Are They and How Can You Use Them?

In the records and information management (RIM) field, a file plan is a tool you can use to keep track of what and where records live in your organization for their entire lifecycle, from creation or receipt to disposition. Think of it as a roadmap that marks important landmarks regarding a record: where and in…

Artist with glasses and cool hat painting schedule GR. With Schedule GR shown as a spreadsheet. The background behind the artist is a painting palette with paint brushes and mixtures of paint on it.

Building Your Internal Schedule for Local Governments

Per Local Government Code, 203.041 (LGC)(a.)1. local governments are required to manage an internal schedule. Some local governments have asked, “can I get the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s (TSLAC) local retention schedules in a spreadsheet?” Now we can do you one better! All of TSLAC’s 12 local retention schedules have been uploaded into…

The words "You Ask, We Answer" over two puzzle pieces labeled "Q" and "A" as well as the TSLAC logo.

Local Government Retention Schedules 101

You may have heard of TSLAC’s Local Government Retention Schedules when you started your new position with a local government. However, perhaps you have not been given much guidance in what they are or even how to use them. So, you find yourself asking this question: “How do I, as a beginner in records management…