Thursday, August 18, 2005

Homestead Kiosk

We rolled out our newest invention today – a Homestead maker. Every day about a dozen individuals come to the registry’s Customer Service office to fill out a Declaration of Homestead. Up until now, we have provided preprinted forms that contain blank spaces for the customer’s name, address, town, and deed book and page reference. The customer fills these out, dates and signs the document. Then, one of our many notaries will acknowledge the signature and the customer moves over to the recording counter and records the document. Our new invention uses a computer with touch screen technology and a laser printer to produce personalized, fully printed Declarations of Homestead. On screen instructions prompt the customer to use a fingertip with the on-screen keyboard to enter the customer’s name, address, book and page reference. The computer automatically inserts the current date and then prints the completed form. The customer signs the form, we notarize it and record it – a clean, fully typed document. We’re still in an experimental mode with this new device, but if it works the way we hope it does, we might start mass producing them as a type of ATM-like kiosk that can be installed in town halls, libraries and other locations where people congregate.

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