Dallas County court clerks have something easier, more efficient and less demanding to look forward to, as do the people who need their assistance each day.

Dallas County is about to move into the digital age.

Recently, the first digital photo imaging computer was installed at the Dallas County Courthouse. And while there is only one, it is a small step in the direction of a much larger result.

The Montgomery-based Administrative Office of the Courts is credited for the latest addition here in the county courthouse. The new addition is designed to develop business procedures and management techniques to provide improved judicial administration.

With the new photo imaging computer, written documents and anything that makes up a file &045;&045; dating back more than five years to

the present &045;&045; will be photocopied and saved to a disk.

As each year passes, the latter will be taken from the shelf and put on disk.

Dallas County Circuit Clerk Cheryl C. Strong said that many old files are stored in boxes or in a file cabinet in various places at the courthouse, and it is sometimes difficult to locate a file.

But with the new system, administrators will be able to pull the file up from the disk if it dates back more than five years, which will save time and effort. Plus space for file storage is running out.

Currently, there is only one person, placed by the Department of Human Resources, copying the thousands upon thousands of files dating back more than ten years ago, when a similar microfilming technique was used to copy files.

Since its use ceased, it will take about a year to catch-up with the new system, Strong said.

She added that once a personal computer replaces each state computer used by the court clerks, the system will be working at there most effective levels. Not only will court clerks have immediate access to file and state-wide court data, it will also enable them to type letters, send e-mail and much more.

Wiring for access to information by judges on the bench via laptop is also in the works, which will allow them to find information on any given individual before them.