For all state agencies, no matter the size, the Records Management Officer (RMO) is an essential member of the agency staff. And, while the RMO position was first established in 1997 (75th Leg., R.S.), the relatively new position of Data Management Officer (DMO) was established in 2021 (87th Leg., R.S.). Designating a DMO is required…
Since Senate Bill (SB) 475 passed, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and Department of Information Resources (DIR) have received many questions. We plan to answer some of those questions below! We also created a guidance document to help those affected by SB 475 become more familiar with their role, responsibilities, and allies.…
You grab your popcorn and snuggle down under a blanket to watch your favorite sci-fi movie or fantasy show. For a moment, you are whisked away from mundane reality—only to be brought back down to earth when the characters seem to be acting out scenes from your own workplace. We call this state of mind:…
The records management assistance unit at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) receives many questions from state agencies when it comes to recertifying retention schedules. A question we commonly receive concerns the “R” code; what does “R – Archival Review” mean, and what does the State Archives have to do with it? TSLAC…
Are you in a similar situation to one or more of the cases presented below? ❑ Case 1: Our records management compliance files are from the 1990s or earlier. ❑ Case 2: We have several ordinances and/or letters from different periods instead of one document that has all our records management policy information. ❑ Case…
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…
This is the last in a series profiling the Who’s Who in Records Management. Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at the Records Management Officer (RMO), records custodians, and records liaisons, who are all very much in the thick of things when it comes to records management. Today we’re taking a step back from hands-on records management to…
In the past two weeks, we’ve talked about the duties of a Records Management Officer and how important it is for them to identify allies in the workplace. It’s unlikely that the Records Management Officer can realistically keep track of every single record at all times. How do you handle this? You need to know…