Browsable Images Instruction for FamilySearch Catalog

Step 1: You will see a catalog entry that looks like this. Scroll down to the list of microfilms below.
Step 1A: Your collection may require you to navigate through some locations and/or dates and types of records. Click the one that applies to your research. You may have to click several times to get to the images.
Step 2: Use the icons in the top-left side of the image viewer to navigate. The arrows move you from on image to another The + and the – to zoom in and out of the images. Clicking on the tiles icon under the + and – will let you see a series of smaller images for the entire collection. This is a quick way to jump forward many images at a time.
Step 3: Find the correct item number by scrolling through the images looking for a title board in the film. This is usually a black page with white letters on it and is larger print than the record images. For a better view, click on an image to enlarge it. You can return to the thumbnail view by clicking the menu item in the top left corner with several squares on it.
Step 4: Review the first several images individually while they are enlarged to see if there is an index or instructions for how the records are organized.
Step 5: Move from one image to another using the arrows on the top left corner of the page. You can quickly move several images ahead by changing to the thumbnail view by clicking the icon with several small squares in it.
Step 6: If there is no index at the beginning, check at the end of that film.
Step 7: If there is an index, try finding your ancestor in that index. They are usually in alphabetical order by last name. Sometimes all of the names that begin with A are grouped together and not in any order. Sometimes there is no order and you may have to look through the index one image at a time. If you are researching in the United States, United States Index Systems explains different styles of indexes.
Step 8: Once you find your ancestor in the index, you may have a page number and or a book number that tells you where their record is. Use the page numbers on the images (not the image numbers) to find them.
Step 9: Pay attention to whether the images contain two pages or one page when determining where the image you need may be. If the film you are looking at only includes the index, you will need to go to another film. Use the information in your ancestor's index entry to determine which film in the collection you will need.
Step 10: If there is no index, check several images to determine how they are organized. They may be in chronological order, alphabetical order or by order recorded. There may be no order.
Step 11: If the images don't seem to be in any particular order, you may need to do a page-by-page search of the images.
Step 12: To find more specific guidelines when searching a collection, see the “Learn more” article link on the collection page.