FamilySearch Indexing:Temple and Family History Consultants
This article provides information for temple and family history consultants as it relates to the FamilySearch indexing program.
FamilySearch indexing helps provide searchable records and hints that make it easy to find ancestors and add them to the Family Tree. Temple and family history consultants with an indexing assignment have a responsibility to help lead indexing efforts in a stake or ward.
Director Community
To connect with other temple and family history consultants and discuss indexing topics, join the Yammer FamilySearch Groups by requesting an invitation here.
Administration
- Lesson 1 for New Consultants: Getting Started
- Lesson 2 for New Consultants: Help Resources
- Lesson 3: Administration
- Family Record Extraction Administrative Handbook
Tools
- Old English Paleography - Handwriting Helps
- United States Handwriting - Handwriting Helps
History
The calling of stake extraction director (later called stake indexing director, and now stake temple and family history consultant with an indexing assignment) was originally implemented to facilitate the Universal Data Extraction (UDE) program. The UDE program was started to extract information from historical records. Its purpose was to create a digital database for use in family history research. Church members were called to use computers to enter vital records from original documents, microfilm and paper copies of microfilm. With the advent of the FamilySearch indexing program, volunteers worked on computers to transcribe information from digital images of microfilm. The Universal Data Extraction program was eventually phased out for the general public and replaced by the indexing program.
- For more details on the background to indexing, see Blazing Digital Trails at FamilySearch.