Harris County Records Management

Since its establishment in 1990 by Commissioners Court, the Records Management Department has assisted Harris County with its record management strategies and has ensured their compliance with the Local Government Records Act of 1989. In recent years, Information Governance has been added as a primary function, leading to an improved understanding and control of information created for and by the County though the creation and administration of the Records and Information Management Plan. Though participation is voluntary for elected officials, it is mandatory for any County department where the department head is appointed by Commissioner Court.  The benefits of utilizing the services provided by the Records Management Department are many; including the immediate reduction in costs related to the storage of physical records, an estimated 400,000 pounds of paper recycled each year through our Records Center, and compliance with statutory retention periods, all without compromising security to sensitive information.

We promote good records management practices by:

• Providing and coordinating off-site storage of county departmental records at the Harris County Records Center.
• Maintaining the Records Management Plan—the county policy that provides direction and authority to county officials to manage their records.
• Maintaining the Records Control Schedule to stay current with statutory requirements and industry best practices.
• Ensuring the transfer of historically valuable records to the Harris County Archives
• Coordinating the destruction of valueless records, both physical and digital through methods that ensure complete and total loss of access to their information and in compliance with the Local Government Records Act.
• Digitization of paper documents to digital files to promote ease of access and secure storage.

 
With the increase in born-digital records and information, Harris County Information Governance and Records Management Office, part of the Universal Services Department, has risen to the occasion to help County departments better manage their information, including digital content while, also assisting them with their paper records needs.