COUNTY SEEKS SPACE TO STORE RECORDS

Two hundred years worth of county records, even with some being microfilmed or put on computer disks, represents a lot of documents, and Cape Girardeau County is drowning in them. The county faces the problem of what to do with all the documents it has accumulated, some from as far back as the late 1700s.

For many years county officials have been putting them about anyplace they could find the space: in corners of offices, closets and vaults in both the courthouse and administrative building at Jackson and the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau. County officials say on some days as many as 5,000 pieces of paper that must be stored are generated.

Many of the records from administrative offices have been microfilmed or placed on computer disks, but certain records from the circuit court -- many of which are of historical value -- can't be duplicated because the law doesn't allow it. The circuit clerk is allowed to destroy civil-case documents after 25 years, but he doesn't destroy them because the public uses the documents regularly, particularly people doing genealogy research. Tax records and property deeds also are in popular demand for public inspection, and county officeholders are serving the public well by accommodating people in that regard.

The deluge of records isn't a new problem. For years county officials have discussed what to do with all of them. But the county last week hit upon a plan. Last week county officeholders and the architect for an addition to the county jail discussed the feasibility of including a county records and archive center in the jail expansion plans. The possibility of including an area for public access and research also was suggested, as was the possibility of getting volunteers possibly from the local historical or genealogical societies to staff it.

Now would be the time to create ample space for the documents and the countless documents that will be generated many years down the road. The county has the right idea to include document storage space in the expanded jail. The County Commission undoubtedly will find that to be cheaper than constructing a building specifically for records.

If that proves true, the county should make storage space a part of the jail expansion.