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

RIM Brain: Law & Order: SVU

In a criminal justice system, records and information are necessary to support operations and functions. In a television show like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, our old friend RIM-Brain often pops in to say, “Hey, that’s not proper records and information management (RIM).” These are their stories. DUN-DUN. As always, spoilers ahead! “Game” (Season…

Folksonomy and Taxonomy

Folksonomy and Taxonomy: two classifications, one new and one old, that are the often-overlooked building blocks of records management. They not only help organize and classify information, but are also essential to successful records management. What is Folksonomy? Folksonomy is a fairly new term created in 2004 by Thomas Vander Wal and is a portmanteau…

RIM-Brain: The Office

by Brianna Cochran and Erica Rice Sometimes as records and information management (RIM) professionals, we become so used to looking for RIM issues at work that we continue to see those issues in our free time. We’ve dubbed this condition “RIM-Brain.” A leisure activity like watching television takes on larger implications as the RIM-Brain takes…

What Happens to Records When Agencies Are Abolished or Absorbed

Sometimes, the Sunset Commission “sunsets” state agencies. But what does that mean? “In government, ‘Sunset’ reviews regularly assess the need for a state agency or program to exist. In Texas, the Sunset process works by setting an expiration (Sunset) date in law for state agencies. An agency will automatically be abolished on its Sunset date…

Electronic Records, Third-Party Systems, and Contracts

(Authors: Maria Freed and Sarah Swanson) ⚠Content Disclaimer The guidance provided below does not constitute legal advice. Instead, it is intended to provide general information as a resource for records management teams. Take a moment to think about the systems your local government or agency uses to manage its electronic records. What would your ideal…

IG + RM within a color wheel

Information Governance and the Records Lifecycle

by Erica Rice When we talk about records management on this blog, we often use the “R.I.M.” or “RIM” acronym as a shorthand way to refer to the “records and information management” field. Records management (RM) is no longer a siloed discipline; RIM practitioners need to manage records within the entire information landscape of their…