Help for FamilySearch Indexers

Whether you're indexing the 1940 Census or any other documents, be sure to look at FamilySearch's Indexing Resource Guide. I just discovered it today and have found it interesting and useful. Maybe you will, too. It's divided into several sections.

Some of it's offerings in the help section include

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• a glossary
• tutorials
  
• Live Chat where you can contact a real person by typing a question and receive a response
• and more
  

Indexers can find

• an indexing tutorial
  
• a list of indexing projects many screens long. When you're a registered indexer you can choose which one you'd like to work on (though, of course, everyone hopes you'll choose to work on the 1940 census until it's finished!).
• the User's Guide. This may be the best kept secret for any indexer. It was updated in March, 2012, and comes as a 124-page pdf download. Chapter topics are Indexing; Participating in FamilySearch Indexing; Basic Indexing Guidelines; Adjustment to the Indexing Screen; Get Help; Get Training; and Arbitration. My personal opinion is that this guide will be best-used when you have a question. Some may prefer to read the guide before doing beginning to index but for me, I think it would confuse and deter me if I hadn't already started the indexing process.
• and much morehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
  

And don't miss the handwriting and language resources on FamilySearch's Indexing Resource Guide. There are resources for reading England handwriting as well as resources for six other languages.

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings and The Ancestry Insider often post helpful indexing tips, too.


Indexers for FamilySearch have made great progress. I hope the enthusiasm continues. Wouldn't it be fun to finish sooner than predicted?!
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