Record Search releases version 2.0

Today Record Search released a new update. This release has been months in the making and you will notice a major difference in how the site looks, along with some cool new features. As always we would love to hear from you on what we got right and what needs alittle more work. Here is a quick glance at some of the changes.

Unsupported Browsers

You complained and we listened. We removed the header that would appeared if you were not using a Record Search supported browser. For the most part unsupported browsers still work, but this header was making the screen shift down so you could not see everything.

Home Page Layout

The home page has undergone major changes; most noticeable are the new colors, layout, and title & label name changes.

Where’s the map?

The map and ability to search a specific collection are now accessed by selecting the “Browse our record collections” link. This separates the search functions and templates for searching in all collection vs. a specific collection or browse only collections. We would love your feedback on this change.

Share a record

Try sharing a record you found in Record Search on Facebook, or in an e-mail or text message.

Print, Copy & Share Record Details

We think you will love the option to let you print, copy and share the record details.

About this collection

About this collection link now takes you to the Research Wiki. Having this information in the Wiki makes it easier for us to update and keep it current. It also lets you have Record Search and the user guidance open at the same time to use as a reference.

Un-Indexed collections

The un-indexed collections or Browse only collections have an entirely new look. You’re now able to keep the context of what images you are browsing, and moving to a different level in the film is a snap.

Tip of the day

Did you know clicking on the FamilySearch logo in the header will always take you to the home page.

After the 1.5 update to Record Search some of our users had problems accessing the Record Search site.  Most of the problems were fixed with a patch released a few days later.  If you are still having problems I encourage you to contact Record Search support by e-mailing them at Support@familysearch.org Put Record Search in the subject line followed by a short title and the bulk of your question in the body of the e-mail.

You may also contact support by calling 1-866-406-1830

Thank you for the feedback it helps us release quality software with the features you want.

After months of planning, Record Search released a new version this week. The list below will give you an idea of some of the changes, and please go to the site and take a look

Updated Home Page

• The home page has been cleaned up a little for easier navigation of the information you need
• The map now shows the number of collections available when you hover over a region
• The region drop down list has been changed

Collection Navigation

• The list of collections is now in a single column
• We now identify collections that are waypoints only- no index
• Also identify collections that have no images
• A cleaner look and feel to user guidance

Image Viewer

• Image navigation- previous, next, and go to buttons have been moved to the bottom of the page
• Images can now be rotated 90º clockwise or counter clockwise at a time
• Full screen view- you asked and we listened, now view images in full screen mode
• Print select area- Now print only the area you want, and watch for more enhancements to this feature in the future.

Help and Feedback

• The help and feedback screens have been improved for more options to get answers to your questions

Great news, another update to Record Search has been delivered! Please read the list below to get an idea of what has been added but more importantly go to the site and take a look. Here is a quick look at several of the features.

Updated Home Page

• Less is more – The home page has been simplified for easier navigation of the information you need. See the latest details on what information has been updated, easily navigate to specific collections, and search with more flexibility.

Collection Navigation

• A picture is worth 1,000 words – A map is now available for grouping collections by place, this provides you quick focus on the area that you are researching to see what has been added and what is available.
• Where are your records – Collections are now provided in Regions – a high level grouping of countries so you can easily select the area of the world you are looking for information on and then scan for the country that you need records from. To simplify finding the right set of records only one list of collections is offered. By selecting a collection by default you are taken to search the indexed collection if one exists – otherwise you are taken to the unindexed view (formerly browse). There is also a link from any indexed collection that also has an unindexed view to switch if desired to that view.
• Images or not – To help you quickly identify what kind of content is available in a collection there is a new tag to identify collections without images. Look for this tag – “no images” just after the collection name.
• Just In – There is now a section for collection news that features information on recently added collections. This is a quick way for you to get an idea of the latest and greatest additions to the site.

Image Viewer

• This Way or That Way – Collections that feature images in multiple layouts are no longer a problem as they are easily rotated to provide the proper view. Rotate Image is now available on the image toolbar for all images.

Wildcard Searching

• Names go wild – Wildcard searching is now available for first or last name. Use the wildcard symbol (*) with at least 3 preceding characters – ie. “Rob*”

Additional Browser Support

• The choice is yours – Safari is now officially supported as a browser on Mac and Windows. You can choose the browser that best suits your needs – Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari.

One of the most challenging parts of finding ancestors is which place to look for them.  In this latest update we have tried to provide the most flexible way to search for place – allowing you to search by country, state/province, county, or city.  This is done by simply typing the name of the place and allowing the list to appear below then selecting the best match.  We have also provided the list of selections from our extensive database of places which accounts for near mis-spellings and or changes in places over time.  So you may see a few suggestions that you may not expect. 

With power comes responsibility.  So if you search for a city that doesn’t have your ancestors name you will get zero results, this means that you need to expand your search to the county, state, or country. 

In my case when I search for my great grandfather I get 7 results for city, 11 for county, 49 for state, and 3,388 for country.  So you can see a big difference in results – so please expand your search if you get 0 results as ancestors could be mis-recorded in different cities or counties. 

One strategy is to start big and narrow results by using filters in the results page as well (note: we can’t filter place county or city yet – but are looking at that).  But you can use many other filters like events, collections, roles, etc. to find your best result and hopefully your ancestor.

We hope this improves your results in looking for your ancestors and look forward to hearing of your success.

We continue to work to make the site easier to use and have appreciated the comments and feedback that we have received over the past two weeks since our last update. Now we have updated the site one more time with the following changes:

• No login required: We have opened the site up for quick and easy access without registering
• Improved Home Page: Modified a bit of the look to freshen the site for new users
• Improved Place Suggestions: Country and State suggestions are significantly better – see if it works better for you. But don’t forget searching by county and or city is still very much supported.
• Client Side Caching: The site updates are better managed and subsequent startup times should be quicker
• New Collections: Civil War Pensions and US 1860 Census (one state)

Please take a look at the site – we will be watching the blogs and feedback to hear how these changes are helping you!

Version 1.3 of the Record Search pilot is available.  This release features a number of enhancements from the look and feel to the types of searches that are available. 

Take some time to check it out and give us feedback on how we are doing.

http://search.labs.familysearch.org

As Record Search continues to grow there is need to take the site down the first week of April to perform some maintenance.  We apologize for the inconvenience but Record Search will be back up better than ever soon!  While we are working please explore the other projects and tools on labs.familysearch.org and as always you can continue to leverage FamilySearch.org.

Record Search continues to add to its collections of content.  We are pleased to add five additional states to the 1900 census collection, including: Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.  This means that only the territories of Hawaii and Alaska are missing – both of which will be added soon. 

Also added was the Virginia Funeral Records.  This collection includes images of Colbert Funeral Home records in Fluvanna (and surrounding counties), Virginia from 1929 to 1976.   You can quickly navigate and view the images under the “Browse” section in Record Search.  The “Browse” interface was recently updated so as you view this collection please comment on this blog and let us know how well it works for you.

FamilySearch is continuing to enhance and update Record Search. This latest release continues to provide quick and easy access to find information on your ancestors. Below are the highlights and changes to this release.

• Search with Events: In previous releases you were able to search on “All Events”. To better scope results that patrons are looking for, you can now search on specific events (birth, marriage, and death). The results when searching on these specific events significantly improve the ranking of results – you are now able to more quickly select correct ancestors. “All Events” has now been changed to “Any Event” and provides the same functionality.
• Search Results Layout: Results are more detailed with specific information relating to the individual featured more prominently – birth, death, and relationships are more evident. Scanning and comparing for selecting the correct ancestor is quicker and easier.
• Filtering: Several new filters are now available allowing you to quickly narrow the results set to select your ancestor. These include Role, Birth Date and Place, Death Date and Place, Marriage Date and Place, Record Type (formerly Collection Type), and Image.
• Individual Collections: These collections allow you to browse down to specific research. Key features that have been added to enhance that experience include:
  • Separate Search and Browse Views: Rather than providing a single list of individual collections with icons denoting the features of each collection there are now two lists – search and browse. Search provides the ability to scope a search to an individual collection where browse provides the ability to view images of historical records.
  • Browse interface: When you browse collections, you can now navigate different levels of documents. The interface provides levels of hierarchy with guides and information as you navigate through the collection.
  • Collection Status: Collections show their last update. For collections that are being added, an “Early Access” status is displayed. This provides a gauge of how complete the collection is and a status as to when it was last updated.
  • New or Updated Status: On the Home Page any collection that is new or was updated in the last 30 days, is denoted by a red asterisk. You can use this to easily determine what is new or has been updated since your last visit to Record Search.
• Registration and Activation: Users new to Record Search can quickly request access by completing the registration form. This form requires and validates the users email address. The user is then sent a response within 24 hours with their activation key. This key is good for 7 days and once used provides access to Record Search using the validated email address.
• Search tips on the Home Page: To help improve your search experience we have included several tips next to the search fields.
• Updated Look and Feel: We have refreshed and updated the entire site. Let us know what you think through FEEDBACK.