RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Canada => Topic started by: cosmac on Wednesday 26 September 12 16:40 BST (UK)
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Am I the only one who didn't realize this about the new FamilySearch site.
The old IGI is still available - it's just harder to find. However the information from that database is not searchable from the main search page.
I have an English ancestor that I wanted to check on the marriage date and it wouldn't show up in a simple search. After finding the file on my computer with the information I entered the batch number and that wasn't found either. The explanation from FamilySearch was "the quality of this information varies. Therefore these records are not found by searching in the historical records collection from the main page of FamilySearch."
Personally I think it a wrong call - all information is good - it's always up to us to verify, etc.
Debbie
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i thought the old family search was much better :)
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Personally I think it a wrong call - all information is good - it's always up to us to verify, etc.
Hi Debbie
Oh .... I couldn't agree, more ! :)
The old IGI is still available - it's just harder to find.
Would you be kind enough please, to share with us, the secret to finding the old IGI ? (I presume you mean that it can still be accessed online ?)
Thanks. :)
~ Lu
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From the home page choose a country. From the alphabetical list of what records are available the link appears under I.
Debbie
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Great ... thanks. :)
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Thanks.- I can't find my way round the new site either.
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I don't think I object to the new site - just the fact that they've excluded the IGI transcriptions from the general search parameters.
Debbie
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Brilliant, thanks Debbie!
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i just cannot get to grips with it.... ho hum!!!!
xin
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Two clarifications.
First, to find the "old IGI," click on "All Record Collections" just under Browse by Location," then scroll down to the I's, where the IGI will be listed.
After you click on it, you can search either the contributed data or the extracted data separately.
Second, the old IGI data is included in the general search results. It is in with other results, listed as "[country], [record types], [range of years]", for example
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
The new site is vastly more powerful than the old one--you just have to get used to using the various filters. There's an online class on the FamilySearch Learn tab that explains how to use it.
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My quote in the first post is from FamilySearch support and while your example of births might work marriages don't.
What I would like to see is all information available from the home page search.
Debbie
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I just tried it for marriages and it did work. That is, from the home page for FamilySearch, I entered a name, clicked on marriage event, entered a country and year range, and clicked search. The results included several marriages from the collection "England, Marriages, 1538-1973," which is how the IGI is shown as a record collection.
I believe the general search from the "home" page does include IGI search.
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It doesn't work for the marriages I wanted and according to website support it's not designed to work from the home page. What more can I say.
Debbie
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well that is a bit of database hooey isn't it because there then should be no "Search by: Batch Number" on the general search page then, as that implies you can search by batch number.
I used to have the old url on my bookmarks as the older IGI search was more intuitive....However they removed it entirely just recently, much to my chagrin...even the beta test originally was better... had they not bunged up the system by copying old repeated files half a dozen times, they might still have a good site...
Regardless, I do appreciate all those volunteers for their time and effort...as it is wonderful to have. The fault lies with the setup crew as they asked what we thought of it and then did not listen to the answers...I suggested that they leave the IGI as it is and just add to it rather than set it up like the new site...when I told them even the beta version worked better they didn't believe me, but it did. Why wouldn't they believe people who used the original site for years and umpteen dozens of times a day some days.
J.J.
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I am the product manager for search at FamilySearch. I'd like to share a little insight that I hope the researchers here will find helpful.
What is the status of the old site?
The software and hardware of the old site was broken. FamilySearch engineers worked very hard to keep it running long enough to transfer all the essential data and functionality onto the new site. It served well for many many years but it cannot be made available again. Search teams are very interested in specific refinements to the new site to best meet users research needs. Please use the feedback system on the site to detail specific enhancements you would like. Remember, your requests must be translated into features so clarity about the function/layout and research workflow is essential.
Is all the IGI on the new site?
No. The old IGI consisted of both indexed sources and contributed family data. Almost all of the 600+Million indexed IGI sources are searchable on the new site. Through user feedback we recently discovered that there are a few million missing indexed sources that were not initially loaded. We will be loading them shortly. We have also identified a significant portion of the contributed data that did not get loaded and it will also be included shortly. If you know a specific record was in the old IGI and you can't find it on the new site, there is a possibility that it is in the soon to be loaded data.
Where is the IGI on the new site?
Indexed IGI sources have been grouped into the collections they came from and are searchable from the home page "Records" search form. Batch numbers entered on the home page "Records" search form will return only results in the batch for indexed IGI records. You can also choose to search the indexed IGI by going to the IGI collection page. This page is located by clicking "All Record Collections" below the home page search form and typing IGI in the "Filter by Name" box in the top left. The indexed IGI records is the default for the IGI Collection page search form and will search only the indexed records that were part of the old IGI.
Contributed IGI data is searchable from the IGI collection page by clicking the Contributed IGI radio button at the top of the search form. The form on the IGI page will also search batch numbers, indexed or contributed based on which selection you have made on the form.
We used to do one search. Can you make this simpler?
Yes. There was a bit of urgency in getting the IGI onto the new site before the old site went down. Search teams will be working on refining the IGI search experience in future releases to make it easier to search both the indexed and contributed data with a single search.