Resources for new FamilySearch center coordinators

Article Id: 914
February 18, 2025
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Introduction

Welcome to your new role as a FamilySearch center coordinator. Your primary responsibility is to help others have personalized temple and family history experiences. Your secondary role is to manage the FamilySearch center. The following information is helpful for your new calling.

At the end of this article are links to additional helpful information from the FamilySearch.org Help and Learning Center.

Register as a new FamilySearch center coordinator

  1. If you do not have a Church account, create one at https://account.churchofjesuschrist.org/register.
  2. Contact FamilySearch and register your new calling.

Staffing and Training

Consult with your stake high councilor over family history. He can help you understand your calling and assist with the following:

  • Provide counsel and direction.
  • Establish a regular time to meet to discuss center operations.
  • Discuss details such as center hours, staffing, training needs, and member usage.
  • Enter your name and standard calling as Stake FamilySearch center coordinator in the Manage Callings section of Leader and Clerk Resources. This will ensure that your area temple and family history adviser is aware of your calling.

Meet with the previous FamilySearch center coordinator, if possible. The previous coordinator can help in these ways:

  • Provide information about the center, such as current hours and staff.
  • Inform you of any staffing concerns or other issues.
  • Give you the keys to the center.
  • Provide you with the administrator password for the computers.
  • Discuss basic responsibilities.
  • Provide contact information for the facilities manager and stake technology specialist.

Go to the FamilySearch Community. Join the following groups:

  • Temple & Family History Consultants
  • FamilySearch Center Support for Coordinators and Staff

Use the Community groups to ask questions, share ideas, and get help. Access the FamilySearch Community here.

To Join the Community Groups:

  1. Sign in with your member account (Church or FamilySearch) associated with your Church Record Number.
  2. Select Groups.
  3. In the field that says Search Groups enter: Temple & Family History Consultants and press Enter.
  4. Click the Temple & Family History Consultants group in the results.
  5. Click Join.
  6. At the top of the screen, where it says: HOME > GROUPS > TEMPLE & FAMILY HISTORY CONSULTANTS, select GROUPS to return to the Groups screen.
  7. In the field that says Search Groups enter: FamilySearch Center Support for Coordinators and Staff and press Enter.
  8. Click the FamilySearch Center Support for Coordinators and Staff group in the results.

  9. Click Join.

    To get back to your groups in the future, once you are signed into the Community site, at the top of the screen select Groups, then select My Groups to see a list of groups you have joined.

If no one in your stake can provide training for you, consult a member of your stake presidency. He can provide contact information for your area temple and family history advisor. If your current staff members do not know how to provide one-on-one experiences for your patrons, please train them. If you do not feel that you know enough to train your staff, consult with your priesthood leaders.
Resources and training materials are on the FamilySearch Center Resources page.

Additional Staffing Needs

If you need more staff members, meet with your priesthood leaders and discuss your needs. Staff can include ward temple and family history consultants as well as community and member volunteers. Additional help can be found here or through the FamilySearch Community.

Monthly Reports

Monthly reports of center activities for the following areas can be accessed here:

  • Europe North
  • Latin America

Note:  In Europe Central, reporting these figures is currently not required.

Complete the report by doing the following:

  1. Select a language in the drop-down menu.
  2. Enter your username and password.
  3. Click Enter.
  4. Fill out the report.
  5. Click Submit.

For the following areas, the monthly report can be accessed here:

  • North America
  • Africa
  • Pacific
  • Philippines

Complete the report by doing the following:

  1. Enter your FamilySearch center unit number.
  2. Click Continue.
  3. Fill out the report.
  4. Click Submit.

The monthly report includes the number of hours the center is open, the number of visits from members and other visitors, and other items. Monthly reports directly affect whether your center is considered for replacement equipment. Bookmarking your area's site is recommended.
After submitting a monthly report, an email is sent to your FamilyHistoryMail account with the information you submitted. You can forward the report to your priesthood leaders.

FamilySearch Center Operations Guide

The FamilySearch Center Operations Guide is the basic handbook for managing FamilySearch centers. Information about the following topics is found in the operations guide:

Church Directory of Organizations and Leaders (CDOL)
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator Map
FamilyHistoryMail
Computers, Printers, and Software
Microfilm and Microfiche
Center Tools
Facilities Management

If you are not sure if something in the operations guide is current, please contact FamilySearch Support for assistance.

FamilySearch Center Portal

The FamilySearch Center Portal is the starting point for FamilySearch websites and other services available to FamilySearch center patrons. Make the portal the home page on each computer's browser at the center. Access to the FamilySearch Center Services Portal is found at https://www.familysearch.org/centers/portal. For more information on the required browser extension, see the article titled How to use the FamilySearch Center Premium Content extension.

FamilySearch Help and Learning Center

The FamilySearch Help and Learning Center has articles and other resources to assist you with your calling. To access the Help and Learning Center, sign in to FamilySearch.org. Click the question mark (?) in the top-right corner of the screen. Enter search criteria in the Help menu search field, or click the Help and Learning Center hyperlink.

Planner

The Planner allows you to help others. You can add members to the planner to view their tree information and plan personalized family history experiences for them. To access the Planner, click the question mark icon and then Helper Resources.

Discarding old computer equipment at FamilySearch centers
Using the FamilySearch Center Services Portal
FamilySearch Center Premium Content Browser Extension
Making the FamilySearch Center Services Portal the home page
Changing a FamilyHistoryMail password
FamilyHistoryMail account is locked
FamilyHistoryMail Account sign-in and password problems
Updating FamilySearch center information in the CDOL
FamilySearch center access to the CDOL
Unneeded microfilm or microfiche in a FamilySearch center
How do I prepare a lesson in the Planner?
Online resources for FamilySearch centers
FamilySearch Center Operations Guide
Update FamilySearch center coordinator information

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