We often receive the question, “Is anyone listening to our comments?” The answer is, “Yes, we are listening!” We really are reading and following your remarks. We cannot respond to every comment, but we are grateful that members of the indexing community help each other out. You do an excellent job at responding to, assisting, and motivating each other. Your feedback and concerns are important to us, and we want to support you in your indexing and arbitration efforts.
To show we are listening, we create many of our newsletter articles in response to the most common themes revealed in your comments. Here are a few of the questions we have received and would like to address today.
“How do I add lines or records to my indexed image?”
There are multiple ways to add lines or records to your indexed image. We have actually created an entire newsletter article focused on this question. View detailed instructions in this article: [Indexing Training Tip: Adding and Deleting Rows].
“What process do the indexed records go through?”
Many of you have shown interest and curiosity in the record process. Below are the general steps that the images travel through to become searchable on FamilySearch.org.
- We receive the contract and secure rights for the records.
- The records are digitized through camera or micro-film conversion.
- The images are either indexed or loaded onto FamilySearch.org as a browse only collection.
- The indexed images receive a quality check.
- The indexed images are sent for publication on FamilySearch.org.
Are you still curious? Watch for future newsletter articles that will highlight these steps in greater detail.
Should we go to outside sources for spelling assistance?
You are welcome to check outside sources such as maps, phonebooks, atlases, Google, and more. These outside sources are something you may refer to, but should not to be the basis of your final decision. External references may help you discern spelling and locality, but keep in mind that the dates and information in them may be incorrect.
We have heard many other questions that future newsletter articles will answer. Please continue to comment because we are listening and value your feedback. In addition, you can always email FamilySearch indexing and contact us privately at fsindexing@familysearch.org.
Update 3/28/2013 - We've had an overwhelming response to our latest newsletter. We are grateful for your feedback and suggestions. With over 600 responses, it is taking time to go through every comment received. We are working on a more detailed response that will answer your questions and concerns. Thank you for your patience as we all work together to improve the indexing experience.
