Library
Indexing

Indexing

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youth indexing

Purpose

Learn to index digital historical records and discover the joy of serving others through family history.

Description

To do temple work for someone, we need information about the person, such as a name, birth date, and birthplace. This information often appears in birth, death, census, or other historical records. FamilySearch has millions of online historical records from countries all over the world. But it’s hard to search these records unless someone indexes them.

When you index, you look at a historical record and type a few important items such as names, dates, and places. FamilySearch then puts this information online so that people can easily search for information about their ancestors.

Indexing is a fun activity to do as a group. Host your own indexing activity using the resources and tips on this page. If your branch, ward, or stake has a temple and family history consultant over indexing, consider inviting him or her to help (this page can help you find contact information for your local temple and family history consultants).

To do indexing, participants can follow the simple instructions below:

  1. It’s always a good idea to pray for help before you begin.

  2. On the Web Indexing page, select Find Batches. A list of indexing projects appears.

  3. There are two ways to find a batch to work on (you’ll probably want to choose a beginning project for your first one):

    • Look through the list on the screen.

    • Do a search using the panel on the left.

  4. When you see a project that you want to try, select the Index button for that project to open a batch.

  5. When the batch opens, you’ll see a box with a purple header labeled “Project Instructions.” Read these instructions carefully so you understand how to index the batch.

  6. Complete the fields on the left. If you need help with a particular field, select the purple icon with the question mark next to the field.

  7. When you have typed all the information, select Submit Batch.

More Ideas

  • Take the Guided Tour—It’s a great way to get familiar with indexing! The tour is just for practice, and you can take it as many times as you want. Here’s how:

    • Go to http://familysearch.org/indexing and sign in with your LDS Account. (If you don’t have an LDS Account, follow the instructions in this activity to create one.)

    • Under the FamilySearch logo in the top left corner, select Web Indexing.

    • If you have never indexed before, under “My Batches,” you’ll see the guided tour. Select Open Batch to start the tour.

    • Follow the prompts on the screen to take the tour.

  • Set a group goal—Counsel together as a group and set a goal for the number of records you will index over a certain period of time. The goal could be for one evening, for a month, or even for a year. Keep track of the group’s progress, and let everyone know how the group is doing. You could even have some friendly competitions, but be sure not to rush or cut corners just to win. Indexing needs to be accurate so that people can find their family members!

  • Divide and conquer—Divide the group into pairs. Have each pair look at the images together and take turns typing the information. Working in pairs is a great way for new indexers to learn the ropes, especially when a more experienced indexer is paired with a new indexer.

  • Try another language—If you are familiar with more than one language, try indexing a batch in a different language. This page in the FamilySearch Research Wiki has links to language lists that can help.

Discussion

Encourage participants to talk about what they are learning. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity. You could ask questions like the following:

  • Why do you think it is important to participate in indexing?

  • When have you felt the Spirit as you have done indexing or other family history activities in the past?

  • What thoughts or impressions do you have about doing indexing?

  • How can you apply what you are learning in your life?

Related Resources

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