About Public DMS Guide

    Managing public records involves real operational pressure: open-records requests with legal deadlines, backlogs of unindexed paper documents, retention schedules that span decades, and systems that weren't designed to work together. This site covers practical topics for the people dealing with those problems — without hype or sales pressure.

    What we cover

    TopicStart here if…Guide
    Document indexingEvaluating OCR or AI-assisted extraction toolsRead →
    Public records requestsStruggling with FOIA/open-records response timesRead →
    Document management systemsEvaluating or replacing your office's DMSRead →
    Retention schedulesCompliance reviews or preparing for a disposal cycleRead →
    Retention, metadata & searchConnecting retention policy to how records are indexed and foundRead →

    Editorial standards

    StandardWhat it means
    No invented dataNo statistics, testimonials, or case studies we can't verify
    No gated contentAll guides are freely accessible — no email or download required
    Accuracy over persuasionWe describe tradeoffs honestly, including where technology has limits
    No legal adviceContent is educational; consult your state records agency for compliance requirements

    Frequently Asked Questions