GROUP STUDIES RECORDS STORAGE

The Cape Girardeau County Commission Thursday appointed a new County Records Advisory Committee to look for solutions to the county's mounting records storage problem.

Five members, each with an interest in preserving the records, will consider what the county should do with the historic documents. Some are over 100 years old.

Appointed to the committee were Bill Eddleman, Dawn Deitring, Jeff Roth, Terri Tomlin and Bernard Schaper.

The group includes representatives from local genealogical and historical societies and the Riverside Regional Library. The library has expressed an interest in expanding its facilities and including an archive center.

"We'll let the committee wrestle this out," said Gerald Jones, presiding commissioner.

The county has been wrestling with the paperwork problem for years. County offices has scanned paperwork into computers and then shredded the papers to alleviate some of the problem.

However, state law prohibits many documents, especially court records, from being destroyed. In addition, old documents have value to researchers looking at both genealogy and history in the county.

"We're going to dump this into the lap of the committee," Jones said. "They will be looking at every aspect. Should we have an archives and records center? Do we need a storage center? Should we donate the records to the university? They will also look for ways to organize records."

Eddleman, who is president of the genealogy society, said preserving probate documents are of particular interest. Almost every document includes family history. Deeds also include lots of information.

"There is a lot of history tied up in there," Eddleman said. "Not just documenting relationships, but documenting the history of the county."

In working on a solution, Eddleman hopes to improve access to records. Many are boxed and stored in basement rooms, closets and stairwells. Getting access to the documents has proven a challenge because of a lack of space.

Cape Girardeau County isn't the only county to run out of storage space.

"We've got some other models to look at," Eddleman said. "I'm hoping to interact with those counties and get some ideas."