Tuesday's Tip: Photoduplication Goes Digital!

Who said 'nothing in life is free?' One of the great services offered by the Family History Library is their "photoduplication" service. Simply fill out the request for photocopies, enclose a check and 4-6 weeks later the copies return in the mail. Imagine my surprise and joy when I received an email in early November from the Photoduplication Unit of FamilySearch. Now, instead of returning the copies by mail, the Family History Library (FHL) is emailing scanned versions of the documents for FREE! Yes, you read that right, free.

Request for Photoduplication

So what are good candidates for the photoduplication unit? First, the copies must meet copyright restrictions as noted on the request form. You must also be able to specify a particular record. The FHL is not able to conduct research for you. There are many ways to obtain the specific item reference including online indexes, prior research in deed index book microfilms, etc. You may request up to eight records on a single form or three book copy requests. Requests can be submitted as frequently as every two weeks.

General Micro/fiche and Census Copies

Censuses and many microfilm and microfiche records are now available on the FamilySearch website. Check for online availability either by browsing their collection or searching for the specific microfilm in the FamilySearch Catalog. Once you have found the item description, scroll down to 'Notes' section to see if the microfilm is available online. Examples of the screens you will see on the website are shown below.

Select "Film Numbers" from the search options, enter in the film number and click search.

If the film is available online, it will be noted in the 'Notes' section of the film record.

If the record you are interested in is not online, complete the request for photo copies form and mail or fax it to the FHL. Below is a portion of the form I recently submitted that demonstrates how different types of records might be requested. Generally records such as a deed or naturalization petition work well for photo duplication since you rarely need multiple records from any one film. Since many related families might be included in a church record microfilm, it would likely be best to order the microfilm so you can review it for all familial connections (see FHL Film Online Ordering Now Available in Cincinnati).

Photocopies of Book Pages

The FHL has a vast collection of books available for family history research. To locate a specific title, use their online catalog. You can search by Title, Author or even place name. For example, The Diaries of John M. Miller of Westwood/Cincinnati, Ohio: Excerpts from 1869-1870 and 1881-1894, was found in Ohio, Hamilton, Cincinnati - History - Sources.

The FHL cannot copy all the pages in a book. Copies are restricted to 10 pages or 10% of the book, whichever is less. You can complete a request for photocopies of a book index or even a portion of an index. After reviewing the index, submit a second request for the pages of interest. Not all books are indexed. Look for the notation "includes index" in the "Notes" section of the book description as shown below.

If the book is not indexed, don't despair, the FHL has microfilmed many books making it possible for you order the microfilm and read the book at a local Family History Center, see FHL Film Online Ordering Now Available in Cincinnati and It's Not All Online: Ordering Family History Library Microfilm for more information.

(Not so) Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

The FHL provides the photoduplication service free of charge. Consider passing along their kindness by returning the effort in kind - photocopy a local record for someone who lives afar. There are many requests for copies and help in online message boards. Alternatively, join the Worldwide Indexing project sponsored by FamilySearch and make more records searchable online for free.

This article was submitted by Liz Stratton. As always, underlined text indicates links to other websites or articles of interest. If you are receiving this message by email, you may need to go to the blog, hcgsohio.blogspot.com to see images.

It's Not All Online: Ordering Family History Library Microfilm

The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City literally has a mountain of genealogical records. Some are available online at FamilySearch. But, most are only available to order and view at your local Family History Center (FHC). Family History Centers are located in the Latter Day Saints’ churches throughout the country.

You don’t have to be a member to use a FHC. In fact, most of the people researching at FHCs are not members. Finding an FHC near you is easy at FamilySearch Centers. Simply type the city and state where you live and click 'Search.' If there is more than one, select a FHC that has hours that are convenient for you.

Now comes the fun part - finding the records of your ancestors! I am looking for the Griffith's Valuation Revision Lists that I learned about in Mary Ann Faloon’s presentation. To find out what microfilms the FHL has, I’ll check their online catalog. It is generally best to search by the place-name for the country and county where your ancestor lived. There may be additional records for smaller administrative divisions that you will want to explore as well.

The format for searching place names is to start with the country or county and then work down to the smaller divisions. For the U.S., it is not necessary to include the country. So, if searching for Cincinnati, you would enter Ohio, Hamilton, Cincinnati. To search for Ballymartle, Ireland, you would type in Ireland, Cork, Ballymartle. Entering only a state and county will list county-wide resources.

Searching for Ireland, Cork, produced a long list of microfilms. “General Valuation Revision Lists, Kinsale Union (Cork), 1855-1956” was found in “Ireland, Cork – Land and Property.” Clicking on the record brings up additional information. There are often multiple microfilms in a collection. A detailed list of what is on each film is in the description. I’m looking for the Ballymartle Electoral Division which is on FHL BRITISH Film 829111 Item 2. Many microfilms have multiple items. So, when I get this film, I’ll advance the film to Item 2.

Great – I found the records I was looking for! Before I leave the catalog, I’ll review the list for any other interesting titles and also check under Ireland, Cork, Ballymartle to see what local records are available. I  found, The Land and the People of Nineteenth-Century Cork: the Rural Economy and the Land in Question. Books are not available on interlibrary-loan through the FHL. A quick check on WorldCat, indicates the book is at the University of Cincinnati.

To order a microfilm you will need to know the title: “General Valuation Revision Lists, Kinsale Union (Cork), 1855-1956” and the microfilm number: “BRITISH Film 829111 Item 2”. Take this information and the film rental fee of about $5.50 to the local FHC (fees vary by location).

Before you fill out a microfilm request form, confirm the film is not already on-loan at the local FHC. The helpful FHC staff will answer any questions. Your request will be sent to the FHL and in 4-6 weeks, you will get a call letting you know that your film has arrived.  Film can be viewed at the FHC but cannot be taken home. 

The initial rental fee allows you to view the film for a short time. If you haven’t finished with the film before it is due, you can renew it or place it on indefinite hold. Not all Family History Centers keep ‘indefinite hold’ microfilms permanently. If you place a film on ‘indefinite hold,’ be sure to let the staff know that you are still using the film actively. Once you have finished, you can request that the FHC keep the microfilm permanently or tell them that you no longer need the film.

Online ordering of microfilms is available for some, but not all areas. See FHL Film Online Ordering Now Available in Cincinnati for information about ordering online.

Happy Hunting!

This is the first in a series of posts that will feature repositories and resources that are not available online. If have any suggestions or would like to feature a repository, please contact Liz Stratton. It is not necessary for you to become a blog contributor. I am happy to post the blog for you with your by-line. Thanks!

Submitted by Liz Stratton; Updated 27 November 2012.