Historical Records Digitization

A scan is not yet a searchable record

Scanning preserves the appearance of a page, but it does not necessarily reveal which instrument is on that page, who is named in it, which property it affects, or how it should appear in an index.

Historical collections often combine bound books, converted microfilm, image-only PDFs and TIFFs, handwritten entries, and legacy indexes created under different standards.

MLG turns that source material into structured, reviewable information while keeping the source image and its identifiers connected to the result. The aim is a usable historical record, not simply a larger image repository.

The collection defines the conversion

Every archive carries its own eras, formats, document types, naming conventions, book-and-page systems, gaps, and access restrictions. MLG aligns the conversion with the collection’s actual structure and the jurisdiction’s required index.

Source inventories, existing metadata, field mappings, quality standards, and publication rules establish what a complete and acceptable result means for the records in scope.

Difficult source material becomes usable

Rotation, skew, noise, faded type, handwriting, mixed resolutions, and multi-page book layouts all affect what can be extracted. DocAI prepares images for processing, extracts text, and applies the document understanding appropriate to the material.

Clear pages move efficiently through batch processing. Difficult pages retain their uncertainty instead of being forced into a confident-looking answer, so the records that need attention are visible to reviewers.

Document content becomes structured index data

DocAI classifies instruments and proposes the fields that make them searchable: document type, names and party roles, dates, parcel references, legal descriptions, entry numbers, book and page, prior references, and other fields required by the jurisdiction. The extracted value stays connected to its source on the document, giving reviewers evidence for each proposal.

One page may contain more than one instrument, or one instrument may span several pages. Instrument boundary analysis and review tools keep pages and index values associated with the correct legal document.

Reconciliation supports a trustworthy release

A converted collection must be traceable back to what the jurisdiction provided.

MLG reconciles source and converted material across document coverage, image integrity, required index fields, preserved identifiers, and unresolved exceptions. Errors remain visible for correction rather than disappearing inside a bulk import.

Legacy instrument numbers and book-and-page references stay intact, protecting the citations researchers and office staff already use. Approved redactions and access restrictions remain part of the release decision controlled by the jurisdiction.

Historical and current records work together

Validated historical data can move into the jurisdiction’s System of Record or another approved target without separating the past from current operations. When public access is included, Smart Search makes approved historical records discoverable alongside newer instruments while keeping the source image close at hand.

The result is continuity across the record: archival documents become easier to find, staff gain structured data they can maintain, and researchers can follow property history without treating the scanned archive as a disconnected second system.

How MLG delivers the outcome

PrepareCollection inventory and intake

Source volumes, scans, microfilm, exports, and existing indexes are assessed before conversion so the programme begins with known formats, gaps, and priorities.

ClassifyDocument classification

DocAI can distinguish instrument types and route them through extraction rules configured for the records in scope.

ExtractStructured index extraction

Names, dates, legal descriptions, references, and other required fields can be captured as structured data rather than left only inside document images.

ValidateHuman validation and acceptance

Low-confidence values and exceptions are presented for review, and the jurisdiction determines what is accepted into its official index.

UseLoad and public access

Approved data can be prepared for a System of Record and, where appropriate, made easier to discover through Smart Search.