Thanks Tim.  Based on your description of use, I'd agree with the Gary
Link that you should add this data to either your existing index (if
possible) or create an Access (or similar) database to hold the data.
It may be time consuming, but so are the other options you are looking
at. Boxing and placing the cards in records storage can create a time
constraint that may or may not be a problem.  The cards themselves do
not appear to be of any artifactual value (i.e. original signatures - or
are they?) so accurately capturing the data or image in a less
voluminous media would make sense.  Imaging (either microfilming or
scanning) may not be necessary, since only the data is long-term (or
possibly permanent) not the document (card) itself.  You might look at
estimated costs for each of your options and then consider the one that
is most cost efficient.

Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
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-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Tim Barnard
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 10:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [RM] Storage of little-used 5x8 cards

From Ginny Jones:

"You say the purpose of the front card was to show when and where the
original document was "mailed back."  Is there any other purpose?  IF
the legal descriptions have been entered in the index (see back copy),
what other information do folks need from these cards?  Knowing when a
document was "mailed back" to the filer serves no legal or real property
purpose I can think of (after a brief period of time - maybe one year),
but I may be uninformed."

The most common use of this is tracking down the attorney who handled a
sale several years back when a couple bought the property and then only
one sold it later without identifying what happened to the spouse.
Often attorneys have such information in their files but it never gets
recorded.  Also sometimes old mortgages are paid off without anything
being filed in our office.  These cards also help track down information
in such cases.  Nowadays our state law requires the "prepared by"
information on the face of the document, so it's not as critical now.
Thanks for asking!  

Tim Barnard, Records Management Clerk
Harrison County, Mississippi
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Phone (228) 865-4121 Fax (228) 865-4140

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