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Committee forms records subcommittee to digitize burial records and reconcile missing entries
Summary
The committee created a volunteer Records Management subcommittee to inventory burial records, reconcile handwritten vault books with computerized files, and report back at the April meeting after determining what remains to be digitized and who can complete the work.
The Cemetery Committee on March 19 established a Records Management subcommittee to review burial records, identify gaps in electronic files and recommend next steps.
Town Clerk Gail Pelotte reported the clerk's office maintains an annual burial list but that about 15 years of handwritten records in the vault have not been entered into the computer program; the town no longer receives death certificates (they are retained by the state). The committee formed a volunteer subcommittee consisting of Melvin Burnham, Gene Rouse, Kevin Nelson and Sexton Jason Fitch to inventory records and return to the full committee with "next steps" at April's meeting.
Committee members discussed the town's computer service (noted as based in Boston) and whether records can be merged or imported. The subcommittee was charged with determining which records are already in Excel (the minutes note an existing Excel burial list from 2010 to the present), what needs transcription, and how to secure and maintain the town's cemetery information for public use.
The committee set the subcommittee to report back at the April meeting so the full committee can prioritize digitization tasks and identify any cost or staffing needs.
