July 2016 Data Coordinator Spotlight with Patty McMahon (City Registrar)
Welcome back to the July 2016 iteration of the Data Coordinator Spotlight. This month we will be profiling Patty McMahon, the City of Boston’s Registrar for births, deaths, and marriages. During our visit with the Registry office, we learned so many interesting facts about the City and we are grateful to Patty for letting us share these insights with the open data community.
Recording the milestones of our lives
What is your name and official role for the City of Boston?
My name is Patty McMahon and I currently serve as the City’s Registrar for birth, death, and marriage records from 1630 to present day. I’ve served in this role for the past 4 1/2 years and I’ve worked for the City for a total of 28 years. On average, the Registry office processes over 21,000 births, 7,500 deaths, and 5,000 marriages each year. We also provide certified copies of records for Boston (and Boston’s annexed towns) dating back to 1630.
If you had to choose one project to highlight, what would it be and why?
We are currently working to scan and index all of our records that date back 100 years. These records are not only important legal documents (ie: drivers licenses, employment histories, school records) but they also detail the collective stories of our families and of the City itself. This information will help people read about their history, trace the genealogy of their families, and bring the past to life.
When did you first hear about the Boston Open Data Program and what is your opinion of what we are trying to achieve for the City?
I first heard about the program this past Winter and I think it’s great that the team is working to inventory datasets citywide. Their efforts may help to reduce redundancies by connecting City agencies to information resources that may already exist and help to connect the public to the workings of government in new and interesting ways.
Do you think you will use the re-developed open data portal when it goes live?
Yes, the Open Data portal could be another access point for citizens to gain access to Boston’s death records that we are currently working to digitize. This death records database will give constituents search access to records from 1956 to present day and provide a mechanism to request a certified copy both online or in person.
Patty, we’d like to thank you for participating in this month’s Data Coordinator spotlight. For more recent news, read about Patty and the City’s Registry office in this Boston Globe article.
If you are a Data Coordinator and have an interesting story to tell, we’d like to know about it! Please send us your ideas at Boston Open Data.
