If you read Joshua Clark’s recent post on text messages, you know that, depending on content, they can be government records that are subject to retention rules. The question then becomes: how do we capture them so that we can retain them for the appropriate retention period? There are several methods that can be utilized,…
One of the most critical decisions you must make as a records management officer at a local government is deciding on a schedule for records retention. This schedule gives you the authority to destroy records. In developing your records retention plan, you must choose from the following three options: Forego a records retention schedule and…
This is the seventh post of a multi-part recap of the 2017 e-Records Conference. Presentation materials from the conference are available on the e-Records 2017 website. Information Governance: Take Control and Succeed The Public Information Act and Updates from 85th Legislative Session TSLAC Wants Your Electronic Records Establishing Information Governance for Local Governments in Microsoft…
There is a term in records management circles you might have heard of called “big buckets.” Have you ever stopped and thought, “What is this? Should I be doing this? Am I missing out on something?” (Coincidentally, there’s the pop culture acronym F.O.M.O. which stands for “fear of missing out” that comes to mind. Google…
Last year, we were invited to participate in the Juvenile Records Advisory Committee (JRAC), a group composed of prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, court staff, probation officials, and others who are experts in the field of law, especially focused on juveniles in the court system. Our goal was to rewrite Chapter 58 of Texas Family Code,…
Whether you are new to records management or an experienced records management officer, you all face or have faced the following question: “How do I make records management relevant in my office?” Depending on your office environment, knowing when and how to talk to your office leadership about records management can be challenging. Your peers…
A new edition of Local Schedule PS – Records of Public Safety Agencies – is effective today, December 8, 2016. The revised schedule was published for adoption in the December 2, 2016 issue of the Texas Register. The new schedule supersedes the 3rd edition. You can find the new edition on our Local Retention Schedules…
Recently TSLAC has received a flurry of questions from state agencies and local governments about retaining records related to public information requests. Some people have asked if the government must make extra copies of the requested records and retain the extra copies with the correspondence and documentation that initiates, processes, and responds to the request. The answer is…