Family History Library and Centers Change Names

 

For Immediate Release 10 January 2023

 

Family History Library and Centers Change Names

 

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—FamilySearch announced new names for its flagship Family History Library located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and all local and regional family history centers worldwide.  The library will now be known as the FamilySearch Library and local and regional family history centers will now be FamilySearch centers. The name changes will better align local centers with FamilySearch’s expanding global brand.

FamilySearch is known worldwide for its popular free FamilySearch.org website and state-of-the-art family research and discovery facility in Salt Lake City. Lesser known are its more than 5,000 local centers where visitors can receive individualized help and utilize web-enabled computers to access other premium family resources—all for free.

Watch “Your FamilySearch Center”.

“FamilySearch is a global brand with free local FamilySearch centers in most countries to help individuals make fun, personal discoveries about themselves and their ancestors. Center patrons can receive in-person help, and access millions of additional historical records online. The more you learn about yourself and the history of your family, the more your sense of who you are is deepened, and the more relationships and communities are strengthened,” said Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International.

In addition to FamilySearch centers, there are nearly 1,800 affiliate libraries (public libraries, museums, universities, and archives) that have privileges to limited-access FamilySearch databases. There will be no name change for the FamilySearch affiliate libraries. 

People around the world are more and more interested in family, their familial origins, and making family connections. FamilySearch is uniquely positioned to serve this demand through its growing network of local FamilySearch centers, discovery experiences, help services, and vast, ever-expanding online collections of genealogical records.

Find and share this news release in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

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About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch Announces 1950 US Census Project & Call for Volunteers

 

1950 US Census: The Next Big Thing in Family History

Online Volunteers Will Make Historic 1950 US Census Searchable Online

 

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—FamilySearch International today announced its participation in the 1950 US Census Community Project. FamilySearch is inviting online volunteers to assist in making the 1950 US census easier for everyone to search and discover their family connections—while having the opportunity to make personal discoveries of their own. This unique crowdsourcing project, the largest census undertaking to date, will make the 150 million records of the individuals found on the census’s tens of thousands of digital images searchable online.

WHY THE 1950 US CENSUS?

The US census collections are some of the most popular online databases used by millions of people for family history research. Most people in the US today can remember an ancestor who can be found in the 1950 US census.

On April 1, 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States will make digital images of the 1950 US census available to the world. Protected by law for 72 years, this long-awaited census will be the most comprehensive record set available of those who were living in that historic era in the United States. The 1950 US Census Community Project is a national collaborative effort that uses the Internet, artificial intelligence, and a massive volunteer workforce to make these census records searchable online.

The outcome of this amazing initiative benefits everyone. Not only will every page of the 1950 US census be digitally preserved forever, but the general public will have convenient access to volumes of rich historical information that could provide the missing links to their own family histories.

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DOES THE 1950 US CENSUS CONTAIN?

The 1950 US census included the obvious questions such as name, age, gender, race, education, and place of birth. But the census also posed more detailed questions that will cast refreshing light on the preceding decade—which included World War II and the return of US troops. For example, those over age 14 were asked, “What was this person doing most of last week—working, keeping house, or something else?” and “What is the highest grade of school that the person has attended?”

Enthusiasm and interest in the 1950 census have been building steadily since the release of the 1940 census in 2012. These new records will introduce us to the 40,000,000 people born during this era of baby boomers. But this postwar decade wasn’t just prosperous for newborns. It also ushered in the civil rights movement, rock ’n’ roll, suburban living, and a wave of colorful innovations. Many of the powerful voices and inspired minds behind these changes will be found in the 1950 census—like 14 past and future U.S. Presidents, vocalist Aretha Franklin and actors Chuck Norris and Jimmy Stewart.

The 1950 US Census Community Project is receiving additional support from Ancestry and leading societal organizations to engage and coordinate the volunteer workforce needed to deliver the ambitious 1950 US census project.

Although the 1950 US census is notably larger than the 1940 US census, thanks to advancements in technology, the anticipated help of online volunteers, and community support, the project is expected to be completed in a few months following the census’s release by NARA.

THE ROLE OF ONLINE VOLUNTEERS

Ancestry will use state-of-the-art handwriting recognition technology to scan the census images and make a functioning searchable index. Online volunteers on FamilySearch.org will then be able to find a surname or location of personal interest to them as a starting point to perform a comprehensive review of the computer-generated index to ensure it is accurate and complete. To stay on top of the 1950 US Census Community Project’s updates or to volunteer to help create the rich, searchable index, subscribe at FamilySearch.org/1950census.

Discover your ancestors for free today at FamilySearch.org.

 

Register for RootsTech Connect 2022 (March 3–5) for free and be the first to learn more about these new FamilySearch features.

 

Find and share this announcement in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

 

RELATED

1950 US Census Release Date

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About FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services each month to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

© 2022 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved

Registration Opens for RootsTech 2022

Ready to Connect? RootsTech 2022 Registration Is Now Open!

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--FamilySearch opened registration today for RootsTech 2022, the largest family history event in the world held online March 3–5, 2022. It offers a forum where people of all ages across the globe are inspired to discover and share their memories and make meaningful connections. Register for free at RootsTech.org today. RootsTech 2022 will be a virtual-only experience, with some enhancements and improvements.

A new set of educational classes will be featured during 2022, along with new technologies to explore in the virtual expo hall, and inspiring stories shared by a fascinating line-up of keynote speakers.

“RootsTech 2022 is sure to be an incredible experience once again” said Jen Allen, event director for RootsTech. “Earlier this year, we organized our first-ever virtual event amid a pandemic—something we never thought would happen. But as we watched the participants come together to provide joyful learning experiences in many different languages, we knew something special was taking shape.”

Classes for the event will have a mix of on-demand, livestream, and interactive sessions that will allow attendees to learn, grow and connect to people all over the globe. Participants will also be able to connect with fellow attendees, speakers, experts, and enthusiasts. In 2022, the planners of RootsTech are looking to take that experience to the next level.

RootsTech is a place of connection. “We witnessed incredible connections [in 2021] between participants all over the world,” said Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch. “As they connected to their homelands and ultimately to their families, they then connected to each other. At FamilySearch, we choose connection, and we witness every day the ways family history transcends all walls of separation and unites us as the true story of humanity unfolds.”

While there will always be some differences between the in-person and online experiences, RootsTech will continue to expand its online experience while working towards a time when the hybrid model of both can once again be offered.

“We are busy creating innovative ways to capture and share messages of culture, unity and connection that push the boundaries of what a virtual conference can be. We can’t wait to share what we’ve got in store,” added Allen.

The event will take place March 3–5, 2022, and you can register for RootsTech right now by visiting www.rootstech.org. The conference is free and open to anyone. For updates, be sure to follow RootsTech on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Find and share this announcement online through the FamilySearch Blog or Newsroom.

 

ABOUT ROOTSTECH

 

RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, started as a global, in-person conference celebrating families across generations, where people of all ages are inspired to discover and share their memories and connections. Today the annual event has become the largest of its kind, attracting hundreds of thousands of participants globally, and RootsTech.org continues to be a great source of learning throughout the year. RootsTech 2022 will be free and entirely online.

© 2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. 

 September

21,

2021

FamilySearch Completes Digitization of Massive Microfilm Collection

Effort makes billions of historical genealogy records freely available online

It is a milestone 83 years in the making. Today FamilySearch International announced the completion of a massive project to digitize its collection of millions of rolls of microfilm containing billions of family history records from around the world. The archive containing information on more than 11.5 billion individuals is now freely available to the public on FamilySearch.org.

"We hope that all those who contributed to this milestone in the last 80 years feel a sense of humble accomplishment today,” said Steve Rockwood, the CEO of FamilySearch International. “And we hope the millions of individuals who will discover, gather, and connect generation upon generation of their family members for years to come because of these efforts will have a deep sense of gratitude for the many unheralded contributors who made those discoveries possible."

“It's a game-changer for everybody in the world. So, instead of having to come to the library, people can start accessing these records from home,” said Becky Adamson, a research consultant at the FamilySearch Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Over 200 countries and principalities and more than 100 languages are represented in the digitized documents. Completion of the project makes it much easier for individuals to make more personal and family discoveries.

To explore FamilySearch’s free collections of indexed records and images, go to FamilySearch.org and search both “Records” and “Images”. The Images feature enables users to peruse digitized images from the microfilm collection and more. A free FamilySearch account will be required to access the service.

History of FamilySearch Records Preservation

FamilySearch and its predecessors have been collecting, preserving, and providing access to genealogically significant historical records for more than 100 years. Those records include birth, death, marriage, census, military service, immigration, and other types of documents.

FamilySearch began microfilming in 1938 as the Genealogical Society of Utah. It was one of the first major organizations to embrace the use of microfilm imaging. That microfilm collection eventually grew to more than 2.4 million rolls.

For many decades, duplicates of the original rolls could be ordered and viewed at one of FamilySearch’s more than 5,000 family history centers worldwide. The process of duplicating and distributing microfilm copies, and the laborious research that followed, seems excruciating by today’s instant online research standards, but at the time, it was innovative and the easiest, most economical way available to help patrons worldwide find family information without having to travel to an archive holding the original records.

(Watch "Billions of Microfilm Records Digitized" Video News Release) 

FamilySearch ended its microfilm distribution to family history centers in September 2017 when it began its transition to an all-digital, free, online access approach. The microfilm collection will continue to be preserved, but the information the rolls contain can now be easily viewed and searched online.

FamilySearch continues to capture images of original records at an ever-increasing rate, howbeit in digital form, bypassing the need to transfer the information from film.

The Microfilm Digitization Timeline

Digitization of the rolls of film began more than 20 years ago when FamilySearch purchased its first microfilm scanners in 1998. The project was expected to take over 50 years to complete, but advances in technology helped shorten the timeline by nearly 30 years. The last of the microfilm scanning was completed this year. The project took a leap forward in 2006 when software and processes were developed by FamilySearch in conjunction with the Church History and the Information and Communication Services Departments of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The scanning began with about 5 employees. As the process was developed, up to 30 employees using 26 scanners were working on the process, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The digitization effort has been directed by the Church Historian and Recorder and executed by preservation professionals in the Church History Department. The last roll of film added to the collection was captured by FamilySearch’s in-field cameras in 2018.

FamilySearch is committed to collecting, preserving, and providing access to the world’s genealogical records to help individuals and families worldwide discover and connect with their family histories. FamilySearch will continue to increase the digitization of new records worldwide from its digital camera operations and partnerships. It will also begin digitizing 335,000 microfiches in its collections.

RELATED

Church Completes Microfilm Digitization Initiative (Church Newsroom, 21 September 2021)

Explore Historical Images Tool Unlocks Data in Digital Records (FamilySearch Blog, How-to, 18 February 2020)

FamilySearch Digital Records Access Replacing Microfilm (FamilySearch News, 7 September 2017)

Genealogy Guys and Vivid-Pix Announce Unsung Heroes Award for FamilySearch at RootsTech 2020

The Genealogy Guys Podcast, co-hosted by George G. Morgan and Drew Smith, producers of the oldest continually produced genealogy podcast, and Rick Voight, co-founder of Vivid-Pix, makers of RESTORE photo and document restoration software, have today announced a special Unsung Heroes Award to be made to FamilySearch at RootsTech 2020 in Salt Lake City.

FamilySearch has recently celebrated twenty years as the premier website for genealogical records and indices, its FamilySearch Research Wiki, and online training. This award acknowledges the organization’s continuous commitment to the documentation of the past and its dedication to preservation for future generations.

The award will be presented at the event.

Contact:

Rick Voight

(404) 664-9897

About the Unsung Heroes Awards Partners

The Genealogy Guys Podcast is a production of Aha! Seminars, Inc., a Tampa Bay-based company that has been providing training to genealogists and library personnel since 1996. Its principals are George G. Morgan and Drew Smith, noted speakers, authors, and world’s longest genealogy podcasters. The company also produces the Genealogy Connection podcast and The Genealogy Guys Blog. The Genealogy Guys Podcast is a production of Aha! Seminars, Inc.^TM

Vivid-Pix designs, creates and delivers Fast, Easy and Affordable Imaging Software. Since launching in 2012, Vivid-Pix has advanced its products to earn the support and respect of business leaders and photographers in over 100 countries. Co-Founder Randy Fredlund has more than 150 digital-imaging patents and has extensive experience in Research, Development and Commercialization, enabling him to translate theory into practice. Co-Founder Rick Voight has created billion-dollar businesses through Product Development, Sales and Marketing for Eastman Kodak and Hewlett-Packard. The Vivid-Pix Team is a far-flung group of excellent people who deliver software that “Give your pics (and documents) the Vivid-Pix Fix!”