UpFront with NGS: microfilm

Showing posts with label microfilm. Show all posts

26 June 2017

Family History Microfilm Discontinuation Effective 1 September 2017 (FamilySearch)

Family History Microfilm Discontinuation

Effective 1 September 2017 (FamilySearch)

From our friends at FamilySearch we received this news. This will impact you if you are (1) a person who regularly looks at microfilm at Family History Centers, and (2) researching records which are not yet digitized by FamilySearch (though should be by 2020).

On September 1, 2017, FamilySearch will discontinue its microfilm distribution services. (The last day to order microfilm will be on August 31, 2017.)

The change is the result of significant progress made in FamilySearch’s microfilm digitization efforts and the obsolescence of microfilm technology.

• Online access to digital images of records allows FamilySearch to reach many more people, faster and more efficiently.

• FamilySearch is a global leader in historic records preservation and access, with billions of the world’s genealogical records in its collections.

• Over 1.5 million microfilms (ca. 1.5 billion images) have been digitized by FamilySearch, including the most requested collections based on microfilm loan records worldwide.

• The remaining microfilms should be digitized by the end of 2020, and all new records from its ongoing global efforts are already using digital camera equipment.

• Family history centers will continue to provide access to relevant technology, premium subscription services, and digital records, including restricted content not available at home.

Digital images of historical records can be accessed today in 3 places on FamilySearch.org under Search.

• Records include historical records indexed by name or organized with an image browse.

• Books include digital copies of books from the Family History Library and other libraries.

• Catalog includes a description of genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, etc.) in the FamilySearch collection.

When approved by priesthood leaders, centers may continue to maintain microfilm collections already on loan from FamilySearch after microfilm ordering ends. Centers have the option to return microfilm that is available online or otherwise not needed. As more images are published online, centers may reevaluate whether to retain microfilm holdings.

We at NGS take this opportunity to remind you that there is a Research trip planned to Salt Lake City (and the full microfilm and book archive available there) scheduled for 28 January to 4 February 2018. Registration is open and you can access full details here.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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04 January 2016

Microfilm is NOT on death's doorstep nor will be anytime soon

Image by OSU Special Collections & Archives, https://www.flickr.com/photos/osuarchives/2709973933

Used per Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical 2.0 Generic license

Though we are increasingly able to find digitized versions of microfilm which we can access from our favorite tech toys, there is much much more microfilm that we cannot access online. This will remain true for the foreseeable future.

As mentioned in Wait a Minute, You Still use Microfilm? No, not all newspapers (please substitute any other kind of record here that you want to look at) are not all digitized these days. Every week I look at microfilmed newspaper records after exhausting what I can access online. The same is true for many other types of records which I can access on microfilm about 12 minutes from my house versus having to drive all over the state, region or country.

And, microfilm is for the most part more enduring than the material it reproduces – paper. Paper likes to deteriorate and is susceptible to environmental conditions. Microfilm can also be easily copied. Microfilm can take the abuse of being constantly handled. Microfilm inherently has a long life span.

Microfilm also has some advantages over digital media. To give you a bit more perspective on the pros and cons, read Film or Scan? which gives a nice comparison on the costs and other factors associated with choosing whether to microfilm a collection or digitize one.

Even NARA, with all of its digitizing initiatives continues to preserve records on microfilm.

In an era of digitization, NARA continues to microfilm records because microfilm is a low-cost, reliable, long-term, standardized image storage medium. The equipment needed to view microfilm images is simple, consisting of light and magnification. The medium has a life-expectancy of hundreds of years.

So, don’t expect to be attending a memorial service for microfilm anytime soon. It is still one of a genealogists best friends and will remain such for a long time.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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13 August 2014

Even now records are at risk to be lost ... Fires, flooding, theft, etc., are NOT just something that happened to our ancestors!

Recent events remind us that fires and floods and theft are not just the purview of when our ancestors lived, they are events that happen every day. Every time they happen, a bit of history can be lost or in these cases, a lot of history!

Burglars steal 100 years of historical records

Late July 14/early July 15, burglars broke into the church through a window, and then broke into a locked office. There, across from Chaska’s City Square Park, they lugged out a 3-foot by 3-foot metal safe. The safe held about four ledgers recording births, weddings and deaths, as well as an index... All the pivotal moments in the life of a Moravian parishioner, from about 1920 all the way to a baptism recorded within the last two weeks, were in the books, Eder said. The earliest records of the Chaska church, founded in 1858, have been shipped to the church’s headquarters in Bethlehem, Penn., he said.

Cause undetermined for fire that destroyed Hancock County Courthouse

In 1885, the Hancock County Courthouse was two years old when an all-white jury upheld the wishes of David Dickson, a wealthy planter who had left much of his estate to his illegitimate daughter born of a slave mother... Investigators called the building a total loss. It housed the county commissioners’ office, Probate Court, Superior Court and the elections office... Foster said clerks of the Probate and Superior courts used walk-in vaults to store many important documents, like deeds and birth certificates. Doors to the vaults typically are closed at the end of the work day, he said... Joslyn said many court records were microfilmed in the 1950s. Although the microfilm can be tough to read at times, the film is stored at the state archives.

Though I often comment to my clients that “real life” can take precedence over our research into our ancestors as the long-deceased are just that and their records will continue to be available into the future. Events such as these serve as a reminder that my assertion might not be completely true. Fortunately, even our modern court houses and churches do not hold ALL the records created during the lives of our ancestors. We just have to be a bit more creative in what types of records we research.

That said, it behooves us to do what we can to “preserve” records important to future genealogists and family historians.

Please do what you can to help ensure that your local records remain safe. Make sure they at least get transcribed by a person or society, or better yet, possibly provide financial support so they are microfilmed.

What have you or your society done recently to ensure that local records will remain available to future family historians?

Do you know of a situation where all was not lost in a fire, flood, theft, etc., due to steps having been taken to ensure that at least the content (if not the physical records themselves) of records was preserved?

Editor’s Note: Previous Upfront with NGS posts on related topics:

· Disaster Preparedness for Genealogists -- Are you Prepared?

· Disasters and Genealogy -- our ancestors were greatly affected by natural events, like "Sandy," also!

· “I’m Sorry, Those Records Were Lost” – California Genealogical Society Publication Gives Researchers New Hope

· The Dayton (OH) Flood -- one example of a devastating natural disaster -- part of a collection of then and now images from natural disasters

· FREE Video Series -- Caring and Preserving Family Papers, Photographs and More

P.S. If you happen to know if the safe was recovered or if there is any knowledge on what survived (or didn't) the courthouse fire, please post a comment to let us know.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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29 August 2011

Online FamilySearch microfilm ordering available to CA and the Pacific NW

Kimberly Powell, About.com Guide, tells us the following:

“The new Family History Library microfilm ordering system is continuing to roll out to new Family History Centers (FHCs) in the United States and Canada, retiring the old Inventory Manager system which required you to physically visit the FHC to place your order. July 27th [was] the magic day for California and the remaining western/northwestern U.S. states, with the rest of the United States and Canada to be rolled out in stages throughout the remainder of the year. Check films.familysearch.org and search for your state to see what's available -- and keep checking back because new centers are coming online every few weeks.

Read the complete article.

Editor's Note: FamilySearch officially sent out a press release on 10 August 2011 to announce the availability of online film ordering to the U.S. Northwest/West Area. This also states that on 24 August 2011, this service might also have become available in the Southeast. Please post a "comment" if this is true.

Editor's Note: Those of us in Raleigh (NC) received an e-mail notification on 26 August that we could now use the online order service and Sharon Tate Moody has reported the same for Florida.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com.

06 April 2011

FamilySearch Microfilm May Now be Ordered Online in UT and Soon in the Entire US

Thanks to Dick Eastman, Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter we know that one can now order microfilm online from FamilySearch.

“A new ordering process was tested in several other countries for a while but is now available to everyone in Utah and will soon expand to the rest of the

U.S.

You can sit at home and order microfilms and microfiche from FamilySearch in Salt Lake City. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection and a user ID, which is free.

The films and fiche will be delivered to a Family History Center near you and you will be notified when they arrive. You then must go to the Family History Center and use the microfilm and microfiche readers there to view the materials.

Quoting the ordering web site:

FamilySearch’s Microfilm Ordering service is your gateway to a vast collection of genealogical and historical records. The service allows you to reserve and loan films to family history centers and affiliate libraries. The loan is free, but there is a small shipping and handling charge for each film.

Ordering is simple:

Sign in using FamilySearch Accounts with the link in the top right corner. If you do not have an account, clicking the Sign In link will prompt you to Register.

Locate the microfilm number(s) you want to order from the Family History Library Catalog located on FamilySearch.org.

Note: Before ordering any film, check to make sure the Family History Library Catalog does not have a digital copy online.

Select your loan type, enter the microfilm number, and click Search. Repeat this step for additional items.

When you are ready to submit your loan order, click the shopping cart in the upper right portion of the screen. You will then have a chance to review and confirm your order. After you submit your order, all films will be delivered to your designated family history center.

To place your orders, go to http://film.familysearch.org.”

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com.