Begin with the End in Mind: A Records Management & Archives ...

the archivist is shaping the cultural and
historical record and determining what story
will be told today and in the future.
Fortunately, the Texas State Archives, in
partnership with the Texas House of
Representatives and Texas Senate, has
already determined that your legislative
records are necessary and important to the
telling of Texas history. The Records
Retention Schedule of each legislative body
lists those records having enduring archival
value.
Texas State Library, 1910, TSLAC
6.2 Accession
Accessioning involves activities related to the legal and physical transfer of records to an
archival repository. It includes packing records, reviewing the general content of record
boxes, completing legal paperwork and transporting the records to the archives. As codified in
the Records Retention Schedule, when a particular records series meets its retention period,
even when not yet physically transferred, legal custody of the legislative records is transferred
to the Texas State Archives. Completion of the "Statement of Intent under Texas Government
Code Chapter 306 & Chapter 323" form and actual physical transfer of the records completes
the accession process.
6.3 Arrangement
Arranging and describing records is at the heart of what archivists do on a daily basis.
Arrangement encompasses both intellectual and physical activities, and description allows
records to be identified and accessed.
Arrangement is defined as "the process of organizing materials with respect to their
provenance and original order, to protect their context and to achieve physical or
intellectual control over the materials." Provenance is the principle of maintaining the
integrity of origin and use so that records of different origins (provenance) are kept separate
to preserve their context. Original order is the "organization and sequence of records
established by the creator of the records."
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