Posts pertaining to local governments (counties, cities, school districts, special districts, etc.)
Classifying local government records can feel like a Rube Goldberg machine. A light marble (Outlook meeting notice) will float over a weighted ramp, launching itself through the funnel of GR1000-26c, Routine Correspondence. Let’s switch the marble to a metal ball (regular operational correspondence). The metal ball doesn’t weigh the ramp down, but its weight pulls…
If you’re a local government whose records were damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Beryl, we’ve put together these guidelines and resources on disaster recovery from a records perspective and encourage you to read through them. If you have specific questions or you’re feeling in over your head with records management, contact your regional analyst. Do…
The records management assistance team at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission welcomes our newest analyst, Ella Castro! Read more about Ella who is now the point of contact for local governments in the Southeast region of Texas. The Southeast region is comprised of the following counties: Chambers Jefferson Fort Bend Liberty Galveston Montgomery…
This could be you. We are excited to announce that we will be hosting local government classes on: Each class is $25 per person, per day. Class size is limited to 40 people, so register today! Classes will be held at the Barbara Jordan State Office Building – 1601 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701. Course Descriptions Introduction to…
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 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…
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…
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…