Church Completes Major Microfilm Digitization Initiative 21 Sept 2021

This marks the completion of digitizing (scanning) the 2;4 million  rolls of microfilm held by FamilySearch.

"The Church has been releasing millions of records online for years as they were digitized. Now that the project has been completed, the records of more than 11.5 billion people from around the world are accessible for millions of family history enthusiasts.

“[The records] are not all available today,” said [Joseph] Monsen, who explained that it will take time to index and publish the digital images. “A large percentage of these are available today on FamilySearch.org and the rest of them are in process to end up there as well.”

"Over 200 countries and principalities and more than 100 languages are represented in the documents. Completion of the project also makes it easier for Latter-day Saints and others to increase family discoveries. ..."

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I encourage you to read the full article at:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-completes-major-microfilm-digitization-initiative

And watch the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK4sbCXzRdY

Thank you Brother Rick Neiman of Spruce Grove Ward for bringing this to my attention.
This is a wonderful time to be serving in Temple and Family History.

I invite you all to share this information. Thanks for helping us to stay informed.

Bill Buchanan

What is a Family History Center? What is in the Research Portal?

What is a Family History Center?
Any stake, ward, or branch can designate a room as a ‘family history room” but that does not make it a “Family History Center”, even if it has a dozen computers that can access FamilySearch.org.

What is the Difference?
A Family History Center is an official node of the Family History Library network, but a “family history room” is not. The access levels are different.

Availability of Online Resources?
Only the computers registered to an official Family History Center have access to the resources in the Research Portal. And depending on contracts negotiated by FamilySearch, certain digitized records are only available on an official FHC computer. Additionally, some software is licensed for use on the FHC computers only. Other computers (even patron laptops in a FHC) will not have that level of access.

Support and Inventory Control
The FHC computers are typically provided by FamilySearch Support and can be monitored and remotely updated by FamilySearch technicians. Inventory control is very simple. In contrast, one stake purchased laptops to be loaned to a few key TFH personnel. One of these laptops was soon lost. This seems inevitable. If FHCs are kept locked when not in use, inventory control is much easier. FHC computers also avoid many password issues that are common in other situations.

Availability of Trained Helpers
Every ward should have Temple and Family History Consultants who are capable of helping members use FamilySearch. Typically, FHC staff are better-trained than most ward consultants. Wasted time when there is no one to help? Use the Portal or do other productive activities.

Difficulty Getting Permission
Unless FamilySearch policy has changed very recently, no new FHC will be approved within 45 minutes travel from an existing FHC. So a typical city can have one FHC now. If the burden of maintaining an FHC is too great for any one stake, would a regional FHC be possible? If small towns can maintain an FHC, why not a large city?

Space Requirements
Microfilms and film readers are old technology and probably not needed any more, Without them, the space required by the FHC is minimal. During the years I served in this FHC, at the end of the shift we locked the sliding curtain that protected the computers. So no floor space was needed by the computers, but the microfilm readers were another matter entirely, They were big, awkward, and needed to be moved at the start and end of the shift. And the readers broke down frequently and parts were hard to get. 

Community Outreach and Missionary Work
Classes and community projects in an FHC bring non-members into our chapels. They do lots of research that benefits their member cousins and their shared ancestors. And some become converts.

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What is in the Research Portal?

You must access the premium subscription websites from a family history center computer through the Family History Center Services Portal. If you try to access them with the links below, the websites require an individual subscription. (list last updated 1 Feb 2019)

The 19th Century British Library Newspapers digital archive—https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/newspapers

This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900. These support the study of colonial history, genealogical research, politics, urban studies, and media courses.

Alexander Street Press, American Civil War—http://alexanderstreet.com/

Research Data: Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs. http://asp6new.alexanderstreet.com/cwdb/

Letters and Diaries: Contains approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs, including 4,000 pages of previously unpublished manuscripts, such as the letters of Amos Wood and his wife and the diary of Maryland planter William Claytor. http://solomon.cwld.alexanderstreet.com/

Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera: Provides a vivid history of the American Civil War with over 1,400 images. http://cpho.alexanderstreet.com/

Social and Cultural History: Personal accounts of well-known historical figures.

Women and Social Movements in the United States: Organized around the history of women in social movements in the United States between A.D. 1600 and 2000.

American Ancestors—http://www.americanancestors.org/

Advance your family history research today with AmericanAncestors.org! Created by the expert staff at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), America's founding genealogical organization, AmericanAncestors.org is the portal to the nation's leading resource for the highest-quality, comprehensive family history services. Consult with our expert staff, some of the most respected genealogists in the profession. Read the most significant original scholarship and important publications in genealogy. Access millions of exclusive and sought-after records online. Learn with in-depth online courses and webinars from expert staff. Explore the largest collection of original family history research materials in America.

Ancestry.com—http://www.ancestry.com/

Ancestry gives you access to thousands of collections of records from around the world, including immigration, census, voter, vital, and military records; newspapers and periodicals; family trees; photos and images; directories, maps, court records, land records, wills and financial records, stories, memories, and histories; and detailed records about births, marriages, deaths, land ownership, and much more. Ancestry is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world.

​ArkivDigital Online

ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online! All images are newly photographed color images of the original documents. Click the link from the Premium Family History Websites page to use ArkivDigital Online

FamNet—http://www.nzgdb.co.nz/

The online family history network for those who have New Zealand roots.

findmypast—http://www.findmypast.co.uk/

findmypast makes it easy to research your United Kingdom ancestry and create your family tree. Search census records, and trace births, marriages, and deaths to bring your family history to life. Please note that not all of the content from findmypast is available in family history centers.

1911 British Census (access through the findmypast website)—The 1911 United Kingdom census is a record of everyone who lived in England and Wales in 1911. It provides a unique snapshot of the lives of those who lived at that time.

Fold3 (formerly Footnote.com)–http://www.fold3.com/ [I think this is limited to FHCs in the USA]

Search or browse millions of historical documents and photos. Fold3 has refocused their efforts on gathering the best online collection of military records and stories. The Fold3 name reflects military history and honor, since traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world.

Geneanet—http://geneanet.org

With 3 billion referenced individuals and 600,000 trees online, Geneanet is the first site dedicated to genealogy in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. The Geneanet community has 2 million members who exchange genealogical information.

The Genealogist—http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk

This resource, available in centers in the United Kingdom only, contains English parish records, directories, census, civil registration, surname mapping, and selected army and navy lists.

Kinpoint Premium—https://kinpoint.com

Kinpoint is designed to make it easier for you to do your family history. It lets you see what to work on at a glance, helps you quickly find missing information in your family tree, and helps you discover insights into the lives of your ancestors.

MyHeritage—Library Edition—http://myheritagelibraryedition.com/research

Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more.

Newspapers.com--https://newspapers.com/ The largest online newspaper archive contains 12,100 newspapers from the 1700s to the 2000s, and millions of additional pages are added every month. 

Paper Trail—https://www.paper-trail.org

Provides access to 19th-century westward American migration documents.

Puzzilla—https://puzzilla.org Premium Services. 

Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.

Notes and troubleshooting

If your center is not able to access the premium family history websites, click Premium Family History Websites from the Family History Services Portal home page. Scroll down, and follow the instructions under "No Website Access."

If a premium site prompts for sign-in credentials but other premium sites don't, clear your browser cookies. Close the browser, and then restart the computer, and try again.

Family history center consultants can help you access the center's Family History Center Portal, where you can access these premium family history websites.

If you need help as you use one of the websites, please contact their help desk directly.