Twelve wooden and sliver shovels adorned with gold bows sit in a line sticking out of a pile of dirt in front of a yellow bulldozer.

The State Records Center – Then and Now

Since 1972, the State and Local Records Management Division (SLRM) has operated the State Records Center (SRC) on Shoal Creek Boulevard in Austin. The original building included space to store more than 152,000 cubic feet of records, with an extension added in 1986 providing another 232,000 cubic square feet of storage for state agencies and…

A Fujifilm camera sits on an off-white background with the lens pointed to the lower left corner of the frame.

See What Develops with Our Imaging Services Department

One of the ways we at the State and Local Records Management Division (SLRM) assist state agencies and local governments in ensuring records and information are accessible for the short-, medium-, and long-term is by operating a full-service, cost-recovery image conversion center, the Imaging Services Department. We recently asked Imaging Services Supervisor Jacqueline Jacobs and…

Sam Houston

FAQs and Answers About Permanent Records

In the State and Local Records Management Division (SLRM) here at TSLAC, we receive a lot of questions in regard to permanent records. “Why do they need to be saved?” “How should permanent records be stored?” “What do we do if there is any damage?” To begin to answer these questions, it helps to learn…

The words "You Ask, We Answer" over two puzzle pieces labeled "Q" and "A" as well as the TSLAC logo.

Rube Goldberg Reports and Investigations

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…

A man in a suit points to different hexagons with images and the word "Audit."

Auditing Your Records Retention Schedule

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…