Court records aide Glenda Dzioba enters a new file into the Total Recall database.
The portable Total Recall scanner.
By J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer, Jacksonville Financial News and Daily Record.
While finding files at the Duval County Courthouse may have been somewhat
of a problem in the past, steps are currently being taken to keep it that way:
in the past.
“We’re in the process of installing a new file tracking system,” said Clerk of
the Courts Jim Fuller. “It’s very user friendly and I’m sure that it will work
out well for us.”
The new system, Total Recall Records Management Software, is already up and
running in the Probate and County Civil divisions and Fuller anticipated the
other divisions would soon follow.
“I’d say that, within, three or four months I’d like to have it on every
employee’s computer,” he said.
According to Fuller, the idea of a new system was a popular one across the
board.
“Everyone was ready for something new,” he said. “This system can tell us
exactly where a file is and even the path that it took to get there. It’s
immediately updated. Now, someone can’t say that they haven’t seen a particular
file because the system will prove that they have.”
In addition to locating files, Total Recall also provides reminders when it is
time for a file to be destroyed.
Fuller estimated the entire system, including training, would total about
$40,000.
“That’s a great deal when you think about it,” he said. “Other options were
well into the $100,000 range.”
Total Recall operates off a series of bar codes. When a file is moved, the
employee will scan it, logging it into the previously downloaded software on
his or her computer. If the file is brought to a judge, a portable scanner will
read a bar code on the chamber’s door frame. It is imperative for the employee
to scan the file if the program is to work properly.
“We’re very happy with it,” he said. “We got it from a local company in Orange
Park and they’re a great bunch of folks. We’ve really enjoyed working with
them.”
Steve Hyman, president of DHS Worldwide, the company that designed Total
Recall, said Fuller was more than interested in trying the software. Though not
the designer of the product — he has his bachelor’s degree in business
administration and computer science and is licensed to practice law in Florida
— Hyman said he provided “plenty of input.”
“Basically, it is similar to what UPS uses to track packages, just on a
somewhat smaller level,” said Hyman. “The courts weren’t satisfied with what
they had been using, so it just made sense for them to look for the best
possible file management system.”
Through heavy marketing, Hyman said Fuller heard of DHS and gave him a call.
Within a few months, a deal was made and the system was adopted on a trial
basis.
DHS has also supplied software to Citibank and the State Bureau of Archives.
For now, Fuller is concentrating on familiarizing court house employees with
Total Recall, while continuing to enter files into the new database.
“We’re very excited about it,” said Fuller. “It’s long overdue.”