PARIS — A five-year project to computerize about 100 registry record books from 1960 through 1971 has been completed at the Oxford County Registry of Deeds.

“This is a major accomplishment,” Patricia A. Shearman, register of deeds, said Thursday.

An estimated 60,000 images of documents that were recorded from April 1960 through June 1971 were digitized and integrated into a digital database, Shearman said.

The 60,000 images include each page recorded during the time period and include deeds, mortgages, leases, liens, divorce abstracts, affidavits, discharges and court documents that have to do with land, she said.

“Prior to scanning each page, it was indexed to conform to current procedures, which are a vital aid to researchers,” Shearman said .

The project completes the digitalization of all records from 1805 to the present.

Pamela Woodworth, deputy register, and Debra Smith, clerk of the registry, balanced the recording work and other registry duties, formatting a few pages each day, Shearman said.

Shearman said Jane Rich, former register of deeds, had determined that outsourcing the project would cost $9,600 and that cost could be saved by doing the work in-house.

She said the process has the additional benefit of greater accuracy in recording. “When documents can be digitized at the registry it precludes errors in transmission,” she said.

All documents and plans from 1805 to the present are available for viewing online at mainelandrecords.com.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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