By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian
On Monday, March 25th,the Uvalde County Commissioners approved the archival of County Records as recommended by Uvalde County Clerk Donna Williams.
The request pertains to Uvalde County Clerk probate records from 1868 through the 1990’s involving taking each page of records from the archived record books and preserving the paper using an acid neutralization process. The records preservation project proposed by Williams would be contracted with the Kofile Company.
According to the Kofile company website, it states, “Billions of records exist in various paper sizes and types, thicknesses, ages, fragility, and conditions. Our preservation solutions and services address the unique requirements of every document to create a defined treatment and care plan that stops the aging process, brings the record back to life, and protects it from water, fire, and mold for hundreds of years.”
According to Kofile representative Catheen Drolet who also spoke to the Commissioners, she explained that because the paper used in the 1800’s was treated with acid to make the paper whiter, and the ink on the paper contained acid as well as the glue used on the book binding, she said, “We are losing our history.”
Lance Gonzalez with the Kofile company presented to the commissioners holding up a probate records book from 1868 containing handwritten records. Gonxales stated that during the proposed preservation process the pages would be removed from the original binding and treated for acidity. Once completed, the pages of each book would be placed in special sleeves in waterproof and fireproof binders.
The physical probate records would be transported to Kofile’s company location in Dallas to be processed and the process would be completed in September 2024.
The Commissioners were informed that if certain records were needed while the preservation process was occurring, through email those records would be available in about 45 minutes.
The court voted to approve the $277,405.03 amount to cover the preservation process. Williams told the Court that money is available in records monies accrued by the County Clerk.
