Birth, marriage, and death records. While these records are parts of lives lived, they are all also valuable tools to help live those lives—but not always in the ways one might expect. Sure, many people use these as part of genealogical research or to perhaps apply for or renew certain documents. But that’s not all…
Throughout the typical workday, it is easy to jot down reminders, take notes during a department meeting, or write down some ideas inspired by a conference presentation or training. Because notes sometimes have a sense of documenting government business and are useful for creating a potential record, you might wonder if what you just scribbled…
First, let’s look at the definition of an exhibit. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, an exhibit is “a document, record, or other tangible object formally introduced as evidence in court,” or “a document attached to and made part of a pleading, motion, contract or other instrument.” So, exhibits may be physical objects or documents, and…
Maps and plats play a huge part in how a municipality is laid out, zoned, developed, and built. Maps assist in navigation of the municipality, while plats establish the boundaries. Because these record types can seem similar, it is sometimes difficult for local government employees to identify an appropriate retention series on the Local Government…
TSLAC is seeking informal comments on draft updates to the following Local Government Schedules: Everything you need is available on the Informal Review of Amended Local Government Retention Schedules webpage: ☆ Pay special attention ☆ to the Comments in the Preliminary Drafts where TSLAC requests your experience and opinion on certain record series in particular.…
How long should government entities in Texas keep email? It’s one of our most frequently asked questions, and like all our favorite questions here at TSLAC, the answer is, “it depends.” Though TSLAC has traditionally recommended the “sort and file” method, these days many agencies are hoping to simplify their operations by establishing an auto-deletion…
What if I asked you, “Where can you find the retention period for local government grant records?” You wouldn’t be wrong to go to Grant Development and Administrative Records in Schedule GR (GR1025-08). But wait! That’s not the whole picture. At the top of Local Schedule GR, Part 2, note (b) significantly expands the definition…
When it comes to census records, most Americans are aware the Census Bureau conducts the decennial census count of the population in the United States. This count is mandated by law in the US Constitution as a way to not only count the population, but also to aid in determining governmental representation and the distribution…