The Trusted Adviser
May 2019 | Volume 12 · Number 5

REAL ESTATE AND TITLE INSURANCE NEWS:

Status of Microfilm at Cook County Recorder of Deeds

What's that Smell?

The office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds has announced that they have begun removing compromised microfilm from its microfilm vault in order to preserve county records.

For several years, microfilm that contains copies of recorded documents (1871-1959) has been deteriorating because of Vinegar Syndrome, a chemical reaction named for the smell it exudes that causes the deterioration of acetate-based microfilm and renders affected items unusable and unsalvageable.

You can access the originals of the microfilmed documents being removed if needed. Read the Cook County Recorder of Deeds post, Status of Recorder of Deeds Microfilm, for details. If you have further questions, contact the Recorder's office at 312.603.5179.

[Last update: 5-3-19]

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