By Michelle Johnson Managing local government cemetery records can be a spooky business. Texas legislative code is positively haunted with regulations for cemetery operations! We often hear from municipality and county records managers asking, “Am I the custodian of this cemetery record?” Although cemetery record series all have permanent retention periods, it is important to…
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…
by Erica Rice If you are a close reader of the local or state retention schedules, you may have seen the term “subject file” appear in the descriptions of some of your favorite records series. Subject files are defined in the local schedules as “collections of correspondence, memos and printed materials on various individuals, activities,…
by Brianna Cochran For state agency Records Management Officers or liaisons tasked with recertifying their agency’s records retention schedule, the process can seem a bit overwhelming. This article will help break the process down into more manageable steps. Note: This article only applies to state agencies. For local governments looking to customize their local retention…
by Brianna Cochran By now, you’re probably aware your government is legally required to comply with records management laws. Though it is often difficult to motivate yourself, colleagues, or supervisors to implement something just because it’s required. It’s human nature to resist things we perceive as difficult, time-consuming, or obligatory. The records management assistance (RMA)…
Agencies or local governments that are tight on storage space might look forward to speedily carrying out disposition on records that have met their full retention periods, but there are cases when reaching a destruction eligibility date may not put the records manager in the clear to destroy or transfer those records. In those cases,…
by Erica Rice [Edited 7/16/20: This post was updated to include new information about applying retention policies in Teams.] The great Dr. Patricia C. Franks once wrote, “Records and information managers who understand the way work is conducted in their organizations have a better chance of identifying and providing intellectual and/or physical control over the…
Web archiving involves using software to take periodic snapshots to preserve as much data as you need about your organization’s website, including any associated metadata. These snapshots will allow you to track and to document even the slightest changes made to the website. The benefits are that this practice shows your records management program: is…