FamilySearch Information and Updates

October 19, 2010

                                                                                                                               

Celebration DVD Now Available

Dear Family History Consultant,

One of the highlights of the NGS 2010 Family History Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, was the much talked about Thursday evening spectacular, A Celebration of Family History, hosted by FamilySearch. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event that will not be forgotten by those in attendance.

The event took place on April 29, 2010, at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City. During this event, award-winning author and historian David McCullough and President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke to an audience of thousands interested in family history. The program included musical numbers by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square and several inspiring video presentations showing the impact that family history can have on individual lives.

Due to the positive response to A Celebration of Family History, FamilySearch has made a DVD of the event available. The talks, music, and films can be played as a single program, or the segments can be viewed individually. These presentations will inspire those looking for additional insights into family history.

To learn more and to get your own copy of the DVD, click on the link below.

http://celebration.familysearch.org

Whether or not you attended the conference, we know you will enjoy this DVD!

Family History Online Training Resources for Members

FamilySearch has over 100 online courses available to help you, and the members whom you serve, learn basic methods and resources to start your family history. These courses provide training on:

·         Researching records in various countries

·         Reading handwritten records

·         Using research principles and tools

These courses can be accessed directly from the beta FamilySearch website athttps://learning.beta.familysearch.org/researchcourses. You can also access these courses in the Help Center from the Training and Resources tab of the new FamilySearch.

New FamilySearch Reference Manual

The New FamilySearch Reference Manual has been created to use with the new.familysearch.orgwebsite. The reference manual is a training resource that can be used to teach members, either through one-on-one training or in a classroom, how to use the new FamilySearch .

This manual provides:

·         Step-by-step instructions for using the new FamilySearch.

·         Learning activities.

·         A chart to mark a person’s progress in completing the training.

You can access the manual from the Help Center of the new FamilySearch by clicking the Training and Resources tab. After reviewing the manual, we encourage you to give us your feedback using the link provided in the manual.

FamilySearch Interactive Guide

The FamilySearch website will change to a new version by the end of 2010. The new version of the FamilySearch website still contains most of the features that you used on the previous site. However, for many of the features, how you access them has changed.

This interactive guide can be used as a resource to help you and others learn the following about the new site:

• Where features are found on the new site
• How functionality has changed for some features
• Which features are no longer available
• What features will be added in the future

You will find the interactive guide in the Help Center of the new FamilySearch, on the Training and Resources tab.

Recent FamilySearch-Certified Products

Various companies and organizations develop products with features that support FamilySearch’s key offerings. Certification indicates the company’s declaration of compliance with FamilySearch requirements. Note, however, that these products and services are independently developed and supported by their respective organizations (not by FamilySearch).

Since new.familysearch.org (FamilySearch Family Tree) is currently available only to LDS Church members, products certified to be compatible with it are also available only to LDS Church members.

Current details of all FamilySearch-certified products can be found at http://www.familysearch.org/eng/affiliates/index.html or by clicking on the More Great Products link found near the bottom right of the new.familysearch.org home page. Some of these certified products are highlighted below:

  AGES-Online.com (Web): FamilySearch Family Tree Access Certified.

 Gaia Family Tree (Windows): FamilySearch Family Tree Access Certified.
 Mac Family Tree (Mac): FamilySearch Family Tree Access, Print, Sync, and Update Certified.

 NamesInStone.com (Web): FamilySearch Family Tree Access Certified.

 OurFamilyOlogy.com (Web): FamilySearch Family Tree Access and Update Certified.

 SharingTime.com (Web): FamilySearch Family Tree Access Certified.

Sincerely, 

FamilySearch