On Oct 1, 2010, at 12:00 AM, RECMGMT-L automatic digest system wrote:

> From: PeterK <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: September 30, 2010 7:39:04 PM EDT
> Subject: Push for new county archive could come with a cost | TriCities.com
> 
> 
> Push for new county archive could come with a cost | TriCities.com
> 
> *Washington County*- Nearly two months after a pipe burst in Washington
> County's Downtown Centre and damaged hundreds of old documents, there’s a
> new push by local historical groups and County Mayor Dan Eldridge to build
> an official county archive.
> “Any county needs to protect its public documents and its records,”
> Washington County Communications Director Jeff Keeling said. “There is a
> tremendous amount of support out there in the community. There is kind of an
> alphabet soup of interested volunteer help that simply needs to be cobbled
> together and organized.’
> 
> 
> http://bit.ly/cRsfhl


In our 25 years of working with Towns and Counties that protect their records collections, the filing fee they discuss is the most effective way to fund the protection and tracking systems that are required to maintain records long term.  Let's face it, the organization keeps those records for the benefit of the citizens. The user fee when paid directly to the entity protecting and offering the records to the public is the most cost effective.

The advent of digital records and the sheer growth of the collections mandate a new approach.  One recent post her from Peter mentioned that Rhode Island just discovered a whole collection of historic records they never knew were in their basement.

Management, citizens and users want good records management but the challenge is how to fund this. The most friendly method is the generous fee that is attached to Land Deed research as it is typically the title company or the attorney handling the closing of the sale.  The attorneys or title search companies do not care if they are billed $25.00 for a Deed copy as they pass it along with their invoice so the user never really is made aware.

But if you told the owner of the property you could find no evidence of their title due to poor storage conditions, poor tracking ability, etc. they would have gone crazy! Also the legal costs to regenerate an abstract would be expensive so all are served by proper records management. The small cost of records management and vaulting of those Permanent Records is a good investment. Especially in a day and time where proving your identity to fly or travel are necessary.

For example, I have a 1955 Chevy but the State of Ohio cannot find the title.  It will cost about $350.00 to create a new title.  I would gladly pay Ohio $25.00 if they could produce the title. 


Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
[log in to unmask]
(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
WWW.FIRELOCK.COM



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