GRANT FUNDS TO BE AWARDED TO THE NASSAU COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE

(MINEOLA – July 16, 2007)  Nassau County Maureen O’Connell today announced that the State Education Department informed her that a Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) grant of $40,720 is to be awarded to Nassau County for the imaging of card file records that are currently maintained in the County Clerk’s Section/Block and Lot Department.

“I am honored that the State recognized my efforts to modernize the County Clerk’s office and is awarding us this grant,” stated Clerk O’Connell.  “It will facilitate my endeavor to upgrade this office,” she added.  The grant will enable the Clerk’s office to migrate more than 1.3 million cards of records that index active land records at the County Clerk’s Office onto an electronic platform.

“When the public visits the County Clerk’s office and are in need of homeownership information, they are directed to the Section, Block and Lot Department, where these card files are maintained,” continued O’Connell. “These card files are the original handwritten index to the land records filed in the County Clerk’s Office from 1899 up to 1992, before computerization of land records began,” she added. “With this grant, we will be able to create one comprehensive electronic index to all land records and these card files, many of which display magnificent handwriting, will be preserved for future generations.”  

The Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund was established to assist local governments improve records management and archival administration.  Grants are awarded  only to those municipalities that exhibit consistent and sound records management policies. This year, the State Education Department offered a special Land Records Initiative Grant for County Clerks only.  “The savings from this grant,” Ms. O’Connell stated, “will be quite substantial. Aside from offsetting the cost of purchasing a software package and equipment for imaging more than 1.3 million double-sided cards of land records, approximately 1,140 cubic feet of records storage occupied by storage systems that are becoming obsolete will be eliminated, thereby reducing the need for new storage systems and space, and will allow for a more secure and economical manner of accessing the public land records,” concluded O’Connell.