Birth and death certificates are some of the most popular records requested and used at the Utah State Archives. For the last year, our staff has been working to accelerate providing quality access, especially online, to these valuable records as soon as they become public. In this post, we’ll explore the process from beginning to end.

Records Management

The Office of Vital Records and Statistics has been responsible for registering and maintaining vital records in Utah since 1905. They also provide certified copies for the purposes of identification. In 1999, the law was revised to allow birth and death certificates to be transferred to the State Archives after 50 and 100 years, respectively. 

Accession and Assessment

As vital records arrive from the Office of Vital Records and Statistics to the State Archives, our team does an initial assessment to determine the scope and condition of the records. They are then stored in a climate-controlled repository for permanent storage.

Archival Processing

Also known as arrangement & description, archival processing involves preparing records for access and preservation in an archives. For vital records, this means converting bound volumes into acid-free folders and boxes (the “arrangement”), while continuously assessing document condition. Folders are labeled to match the container list (the “description”) on the finding aid for retrieval. Fasteners like staples and paper clips are removed to prevent long-term damage from pressure and metal rust. This also prepares the documents for reformatting, and additional conservation if needed.

Conservation

Some records come to us needing repair due to their age and frequency of in-office use. All foreign tape (i.e. Scotch, masking, etc.) is removed to gauge the amount of conservation needed and to prevent further damage to the documents. Small rips and page feathering are repaired with archival wheat starch paste, while large tears and complete page separations are repaired with archival-quality, removable tape. This work is done to help further stabilize the records for both reformatting and long-term storage.

Color Capture

We now utilize an overhead digital camera to capture the full color spectrum of printed, written, and stamped information on original certificates. Information is found on the front of each document, but notes also captured may occasionally appear on the back as well. The covers are not captured since the documents are removed from their original binding during archival processing.

Online Access

Digital images are published online in a collection. These images are organized identical to the paper records, following the container list and original order. They have some metadata assigned at this point, such as county name and year, but individual names and other details have not yet been indexed from the digital image.

Indexing by Name

Indexing, or typing out the text contained in an image, allows for the greatest access to a record, since it makes the text machine searchable. However, indexing requires a large time investment beyond our capacity, so we invite the public to assist with this step, utilizing an indexing application called FromThePage. 

Sharing with Partners

Vital records are incredibly useful for family history, community history, citizenship, and identification, but they’re also valuable additions to other online services. We have partnered at times with Ancestry and FamilySearch, providing them with a copy of vital records to allow for broader access. As partners we work to broaden access to many Utah government records beyond our building. 

Where You Can Find Vital Records

We have detailed research guides on birth, marriage, and death records on our website. The Office of Vital Records and Statistics provides information and forms online to request certified copies and records not yet public.