County records digitized with the project coming in under budget

When was the last time you heard about a government initiative coming in under budget? It certainly doesn't happen often, but the rare occurrence did take place recently.

The Cape Girardeau County Archive Center reported last month that a plan to digitize more than 200 years of county records came in about $4,500 under the expected $35,000 estimate.

The project was completed by the firm ArcaSearch, the same firm that digitized the county's marriage licenses and applications in 2021.

The Southeast Missourian reported that Cape Girardeau County has some of the oldest records in the state, some dating to 1798 with documents written in English, German and French.

"The physical books weigh anywhere from 5 to 30 pounds each and are heavy and awkward to handle," Marybeth Niederkorn, director of Cape Girardeau County Archive Center, told the newspaper. "Turning each page, you have to be extraordinarily careful because you can easily tear one. Once a page is torn, it's torn forever. This digitization helps us to preserve the original documents, while also allowing better access for members of the public and county government staff."

We're glad to see these documents digitized for their preservation and public accessibility. And it's certainly nice to see a government project come in under budget.