You asked about changes in access to the Barbour Index of Vital Records. You asked why regulations had been changed to make it more difficult to do research from the Index and how it could be made easier for individuals to access the information.

The Barbour Index of Vital Records is freely available to anyone visiting the Connecticut State Library (CSL). No changes have been made regarding access according to Mel Smith, a CSL reference librarian. The Index consists of two components: a “slip index” and “index volumes. ”

The slip index is located in card catalog-style cabinets in the state library’s basement. This index contains birth, death, and marriage information of Connecticut residents up until about 1850 and is organized by surname and then by first name.

In shelves across the aisle from the slip index are the index volumes. These volumes contain the same information but are organized by town first, and then by surname and first name. The information from each town dates from its incorporation and ends about 1850, just as the slip index does.

If an individual is not able to visit CSL, the staff will perform the research for a $ 15 fee, according to Smith.

In 1996, there was a regulation enacted that limited access to birth certificates from the previous 100 years. However, these records are not covered by the Barbour Index, whose records stop at 1850.

THE BARBOUR INDEX OF VITAL RECORDS

Lucius Barnes Barbour was the State Examiner of Public Records from 1911 to 1934. Under his direction, records from Connecticut towns were transcribed into a single index. More information on the history of the Index can be found on the CSL’s web page about the index (http: //www. cslib. org/barbour. htm).