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…
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…
Creation and maintenance of an information management disaster plan is a never-ending task. While it can be cumbersome, hard to obtain buy-in, and require an upfront cost, it is one of the most important documents that your office can create. Protecting your information is protecting your assets. You will be able to continue operations and…
Picture this: After a seventh consecutive day of raining, there are flood warnings for the surrounding area—a common problem for central Texas— and your government building is in the flood zone. Does work need to carry on regardless of the conditions? How do you ensure business continues? Imagine your office building has a suspected gas leak…
Essential records, also known as vital records or mission-critical records, are the records necessary for responding to an emergency or disaster; necessary to resume or continue operations; that protect the health, safety, property, and rights of residents/citizens; that would require an enormous amount of resources to reconstruct; and that document the history of communities and…