A man in a suit points to different hexagons with images and the word "Audit."

Auditing Your Records Retention Schedule

The auditing process is fundamental to ensuring compliance with the law and best practices. However, many records management officers will get nervous when someone mentions doing an audit. Although it can be daunting to put your program under a microscope, there are many positive things that can come out of doing an audit on your…

A hand places a coral colored binder on a shelf full of light blue binders. Below are the words Remarkable Records and the TSLAC logo.

Remarkable Records: Complaints

The Remarkable Records Series was created to highlight our favorite, weird, and wacky record series found in the retention schedules. We’ve covered the quirky and funny, but it’s time to complain contribute a lesser favorite: Complaints. Recently we received a record clarification question from a Local Government (LG) that seemed to fit under the umbrella…

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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…

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2024 Local Government Records Management Officer Meeting

You are cordially invited to the annual Local Government Records Management Officer meeting. Calling all records management officers and records professionals serving local governments across Texas! Texas State Library and Archives (TSLAC) wants to meet with you. Due to the size of this meeting and geography, this event will be held via Zoom. When: Thursday,…

Five Things That Break a Records Analyst’s Heart

Last year, for Valentine’s Day, two analysts in the Records Management Assistance Unit wrote an article titled: 10 Things We Love About Records Management. We wanted to acknowledge ten things that made our hearts flutter as analysts. This year, however, in honor of all the broken hearts this Valentine’s Day, let’s discuss five things that…

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…