Circuit clerk wins emergency appropriation to digitize historic court records and develop public archive

The Law and Government Committee voted Sept. 30 to authorize an emergency appropriation from the circuit clerk’s court document storage fund to preserve and digitize historical court records and to develop an online archive.

Cathy, the circuit clerk, told the committee the project will photograph and digitize roughly 400 large bound books — including immigration and naturalization records, probate files and other fragile indexes — using a vendor experienced in historical record preservation. The vendor’s photographing technique flattens books without destroying bindings, unlike prior scanning efforts that required de‑binding older volumes.

The project has two aims: to make frequently requested historical records more accessible to genealogists and the public by placing them online, and to reduce the physical storage footprint in the county archives by enabling document destruction where the Illinois Supreme Court permits it.

Cathy said the data itself will remain county property. She also said the transcripted packet lists an annual hosting/maintenance estimate of about $15,000 for the website the vendor would maintain, though the county could later consider hosting the archive internally once staff develop the capability.

The committee approved the appropriation by roll call vote.