FamilySearch Center Support
ChromeOS in FamilySearch Centers
FamilySearch resources help millions of people around the world discover their heritage and connect with family members. One of the ways FamilySearch helps people discover their family’s history is via the resources found at over 5,000 local FamilySearch centers. While the fundamental purposes of FamilySearch centers around the world are the same, the size of the center, the services offered, and the technology available at each location may vary.
FamilySearch is always looking for ways to improve the guest experience by offering new technologies for use in FamilySearch centers and to provide a better and more consistent experience for center guests across the globe. ChromeOS is one of the technologies that helps accomplish this.
The primary purpose of ChromeOS Flex is to provide a simple solution for patrons and staff, enabling them to spend more time on family history work and less on technical support.
The secondary purpose is to extend the life of existing hardware. A ChromeOS Flex device runs ChromeOS as its operating system. The FamilySearch ChromeOS configuration is predefined, and any changes made to the computer locally will be removed when the user’s session ends, or the computer is restarted. This includes user session data. This functionality greatly reduces the number of technical issues encountered, since a reboot will always bring the computer back to a working state. Additionally, this will also protect the center staff and patrons by ensuring their user credentials and logged in sessions are cleared from the browser when they are finished using the computer.
ChromeOS is a global solution. Individual center customizations are not generally supported. However, suggestions for adjustments that will benefit a broad number of centers, i.e. within the same country/state/region, are welcome. Each suggestion will be taken into account and reviewed for possible implementation. There are many strengths of ChromeOS computers in FamilySearch Centers.
FamilySearch is always looking for ways to improve the guest experience by offering new technologies for use in FamilySearch centers and to provide a better and more consistent experience for center guests across the globe. ChromeOS is one of the technologies that helps accomplish this.
The primary purpose of ChromeOS Flex is to provide a simple solution for patrons and staff, enabling them to spend more time on family history work and less on technical support.
The secondary purpose is to extend the life of existing hardware. A ChromeOS Flex device runs ChromeOS as its operating system. The FamilySearch ChromeOS configuration is predefined, and any changes made to the computer locally will be removed when the user’s session ends, or the computer is restarted. This includes user session data. This functionality greatly reduces the number of technical issues encountered, since a reboot will always bring the computer back to a working state. Additionally, this will also protect the center staff and patrons by ensuring their user credentials and logged in sessions are cleared from the browser when they are finished using the computer.
ChromeOS is a global solution. Individual center customizations are not generally supported. However, suggestions for adjustments that will benefit a broad number of centers, i.e. within the same country/state/region, are welcome. Each suggestion will be taken into account and reviewed for possible implementation. There are many strengths of ChromeOS computers in FamilySearch Centers.
- Support for online, browser-based research with access to the premium websites offered in centers.
- Support for multiple languages and keyboard layouts out of the box.
- Updates handled by Management Portal with no local administrative effort.
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