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…

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

RIM-Brain: Sci-Fi and Fantasy

You grab your popcorn and snuggle down under a blanket to watch your favorite sci-fi movie or fantasy show. For a moment, you are whisked away from mundane reality—only to be brought back down to earth when the characters seem to be acting out scenes from your own workplace. We call this state of mind:…

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.…

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…

Unmatched, brightly colored socks hanging on a clothes line.

Outlook Tips for Easy Email Management

I don’t know about you, but one of my least favorite chores is folding the laundry. Even though I know that leaving my clean clothes in a laundry basket creates problems—my work shirts get wrinkled, and I can never find socks that match—I still end up putting it off for days. For many government employees,…