Posts pertaining to local governments (counties, cities, school districts, special districts, etc.)
A risk assessment is the practice of evaluating the inherent threats to and weaknesses in a government entity’s records and information. It is a recommended practice to evaluate the protection of your entity’s records in order to mitigate the potential destruction, harm, or loss to the information. While it may seem daunting to conduct a…
Developing training can be an intimidating task, but it doesn’t need to be insurmountable. Check out the tips below to get started on building an internal training program for your own organization. Get Top-Down Support We know we sound like a broken record about getting executive buy-in, but that is how important it is. This…
Administratively Valuable (AV) is a retention code that stirs a lot of questions. How long is AV? What even is AV? Can you say “Administratively Valuable” five times fast? While we analysts at TSLAC can point out best practices and strategies regarding this retention code, we can only speculate so much. To offer a different…
Shared file environments can be a real challenge to organize and maintain. Below are some tips to help your shared drive structures get into and stay in shape. Consistency Structure and Control Change Management Disposition Shared drives can be chaotic, but they don’t have to be that way. Employing simple techniques like the ones above…
Some of the consulting questions we receive revolve around the subject of how to manage email and email records. From those questions the matter becomes how should a government entity address the management of its email. The best way an entity can capture their practices and procedures for email management is to create a policy.…
Understanding what meets the definition of a “local government record” is important for a local government employee (especially a Records Management Officer). This is because your entity’s local government record is a record that you’re required to keep for a certain amount of time based on laws, rules, and standards associated with the Texas State…
In this new year, we want to remind everyone of the resources the Records Management Assistance Unit has for local governments and state agencies. Trainings In person training is back and ready to go! Some examples of our training includes Records Management Basics for both State Agencies and Local Governments, tips and tricks for disposition,…
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…