Help:Family History Center Help

A FamilySearch Research Wiki page highlighting information and suggestions for those editing family history center, FamilySearch Center, and FamilySearch Library Wiki pages. Watch this page by clicking on the star next to the "View History" tab at the top right side above for weekly updates. You will receive a notification each time this page is edited. - Goals: Please ask questions or suggest topics on the Talk page.
 * To provide assistance to those editing family history center pages
 * Show examples of various features that may benefit those pages
 * Answer questions from family history center wiki users
 * Address common family history center page issues

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Use Sandbox Pages as You Edit Your FHC Wiki Pages
Creating a Sandbox is a page that will tell you more! Why it's important! How to do it! How many you can have! Then by using this special bit of code - - in your primary sandbox (the one you link to from the top of this page), you can create a listing of all your sandboxes automatically. Here's what it looks like in my sandbox using the code above - User:Brepouille/Sandbox

New Updates in the Policies and Procedures
Church policy is that we do not publish Zoom links in public areas (such as the Wiki) where everyone can use them. The risk of "Zoom bombers" is too high. Therefore, please post contact information for people to request the link. As we run across these open links in the Wiki we will be removing them and sending out emails with explanations.

Want Help Editing Your Family History Center Page?
We have a team to assist you with that! We have ideas for pages and can teach you how to edit in the Wiki. Let us know how we may serve you!

Would You Like a Menu Bar or Box?
You can create clickable menu bars and boxes for your pages. Leave a comment in the Talk Section (above) of this page to request someone assist you in adding one!

Special Collections
Does your family history center have a special collection that needs to be shared with the public? Tell them about it on your Wiki page!!!!

You Can Add Photos to Your Page
The photos must first be uploaded to the FamilySearch Wiki using the Upload File/Image link under Edit the Wiki on the left side of the page. After doing so, you will received an email with the link to the image and instructions on how to place it on your page.

Please remember - no images of temples or images with living people in them!

FHCs Worth Watching
Family history centers come in all sizes and shapes! Check out the Tempe Arizona Family History Center's page. Hover over the images.

More on Editing Your FHC Page

 * You can edit the pages of the Wiki by using the Edit button at the top right side of the page. This feature will take you into VisualEditor which works like a word processor.  It does not give you all the tools you will need to always edit some of the Wikitext on your page.
 * If you have a problem you wish corrected that you cannot figure out, please leave a message on the Talk Page of this page and you will receive an answer within 24 hours.
 * You may also try the Wiki University Wikitext Tutorial. It takes you from ground zero to just about anything you would need to do here and does so in small, easily "digested" lessons.

Link Other Pages to Your FHC Wiki Page

 * Add links to your center page from other pages that might relate to your center such as the city and county locality pages in the Wiki.
 * You can also add links from other genealogical sites that may have information your patrons would like to access such as USGenWeb, your public library, or county and city historical/genealogical societies.

Page Sections are Optional

 * Your wiki page was created with a number of sections already there.
 * These sections are not required on every page.
 * Replace any instructions that are in parentheses and italics with information about your center.
 * You are welcome to add sections that are helpful for your patrons and to delete sections that are not applicable or helpful to your center.

Information NOT allowed on FHC pages
NOTE: All changes to Family History Center pages are monitored by FamilySearch staff and inappropriate information as described above will be removed.
 * Adding extensive information about training for Temple and Family History consultants is NOT appropriate, especially when links to this information includes doctrinal phrases of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 * Information for priesthood leaders should NEVER be listed on a FHC wiki page as all direction is given from priesthood authorities in the area and not by family history centers/libraries.
 * The page should also NOT be used to communicate ward and stake goals or be used by the ward to give announcements or local leadership responsibilities.

Editing Pages
To edit the page, make sure you are logged in. Then you can use the Edit tab on the top right to edit in VisualEditor. VisualEditor can make simple changes to a page. If you want to do more complex things, you will need to learn Wikitext. You can edit the Wikitext by using the Edit source tab on the top right of the page.

Editing Rights
To add details about your center, you must first be granted editing rights. To request, editing rights, fill out this form. Within 48 hours, you will receive an email notifying you of your editing status.

My page is getting really long! What can I do?
Patrons to the wiki can get overwhelmed if they need to sort through lots of information. If your center has a long page, consider creating several pages then tying them all together with a menu bar for ease of access. Here is a page that can be easily broken down into two or more smaller ones. A page can be created for the Useful Websites and linked to from the main page. Here is a page already set up with a menu across the top of the page. Then we have the large centers that look like this.

What is and is not appropriate on FHC pages
Doctrinal information of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does NOT belong on the pages of this Wiki. The wiki audience is world-wide, to individuals of many faiths, who love genealogy for the sake of genealogy work. The FHC Wiki page is not a place to put information about doctrine. This includes PowerPoint presentations and other documents that may include doctrinal information in them. See the Wiki Purpose and Appropriate Topics for more information. For more specifics, please review Help:Wiki University Family History Centers.

Your Center's contact information
Please know that when you change your family history center's contact information in the Wiki, it does NOT automatically change it in the Church's official listing. Please contact 866-406-1830 or this Contact Us page to correct your information.