§ 177. Commissioner of records of city court of the city of New York;
appointment; salary; duties. (1) The presiding justice shall appoint a
commissioner of records and a deputy commissioner of records who shall
be authorized to act generally for and in place of the commissioner of
records. Such commissioner shall appoint, subject to the prior approval
of the presiding justice, subordinates to assist him in the performance
of his duties. The salary of such commissioner, deputy commissioner and
subordinates shall be fixed by the presiding justice, and shall be paid
out of appropriations therefor made by the city of New York.

(2) Such commissioner shall examine into the arrangement and condition
of the records, documents, books and papers, deposited or filed in the
office of the clerk of the city court of the city of New York in each
county within such city, and into the condition and sufficiency of the
indices thereof. He shall collate and arrange the same in such manner as
may be necessary for their restoration and preservation, and shall take
such steps as may be necessary to provide convenient references thereto
and for such examination and use as the public interest and convenience
may require. He shall cause copies thereof to be made whenever by reason
of age, use, exposure, or any casualty such copies shall in his judgment
be necessary, and after such a copy has been compared with the original
it shall be certified by such commissioner, and shall thereafter be
admitted in evidence, and shall be considered for all other purposes
with the same effect as the original. The original shall be placed in a
suitable enclosure by such commissioner, and shall be preserved,
properly endorsed and indexed, for such examination as may be directed
by an order of the court in any action or proceeding in which the
accuracy of the copy may be questioned. Such duties shall be performed
under such conditions and regulations as may be approved by the
presiding justice, and in a manner which shall permit the examination
and use of such records, documents, books, papers and indices, as the
public interest and convenience may require.

(3) The office of commissioner of records of the city court shall
terminate upon the completion of the duties in this section prescribed.