Thursday, May 14, 2015

Hasten the Work - Preserving the Past with FamilySearch

Every time I download a digital copy of a record stored on FamilySearch, I think about how much money that saved me. Now I see that each image cost The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints / FamilySearch 10 cents. Free doesn't mean it didn't cost someone somewhere to make that available to me. From RootsTech I learned the LDS Church is preparing to provide stakes/congregations around the world with cameras so their members and volunteers can collect digital copies of local records. We have the plan for manpower to capture them. Now we just need the cameras!

The following is from LDS Philanthropies, a department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Preserving the Past with FamilySearch
2015 Goal: $2 Million

What Can You Do With a Dime?

On a mission to accelerate family history and temple work, FamilySearch is strengthening its efforts to capture records. Special camera equipment and dedicated camera crews are needed to capture digital images of records that are in various states of decay or, worse yet, tagged for disposal.

Many countries throughout the world lack the space and environmental conditions required to safely store these vital records. The ability to acquire, digitize, and otherwise preserve these treasured documents requires donations. For just 10 cents you can save 10 records - that’s 100 records for every dollar you give. A gift of $100 can save 10,000 records.