I was thinking that Register of Deeds (if I remember correctly, it's Recorder of Deeds in Ohio) office looks a lot like my home county of Hillsdale!  Our computer system goes back to the early 80's and after that, we hit the vault.  Despite the climbing and arm work-out, I love the old vaults.  We're entering an honest-ta-god time machine.  In another of my counties, they have REALLY old assessors records in this little tiny room in the basement (of a really old [1880?]) courthouse.  It has an arched ceiling of painted brick and it reminds one of a wine cellar.  It has a huge, heavy steel vault door and then a door of bars that you have to unlock with a special key.  You have to handle the books very gently because they're falling apart.  You start to feel like a monk and you handle everything with reverence.  The lighting is so bad, it might as well be by candlelight!

It's amazing what we do for a living.  We touch history.