The following Newsletter is sent out to FreeBMD Coordinators and transcribers on behalf of Nick Barratt, Executive Director. Regards Allan Raymond FreeBMD Coordinator of Syndicates FreeUKGEN Newsletter for FreeBMD, FreeCEN and FreeREG Issue 2 September 2011 Welcome to the second FreeUKGEN newsletter, updating you on the latest information about the three constituent projects, FreeBMD, FreeCEN and FreeREG. It is intended as a short summary news bulletin for internal circulation amongst Executive Members, Co-ordinators and transcribers; but if you would like any background information on the items included, please drop me an email at nick.barratt@virgin.net Dr Nick Barratt Executive Director 1. Tri-project seminar The tri-project seminar was held on Thursday 21 April 2011 at The National Archives. The event was very well attended, and a wide range of issues were discussed relating to communication, management, finances and technology. We also heard presentations on the work of The National Archives; the future of genealogy; and the role of the Open Genealogical Alliance. An action plan has been drawn up and circulated, identifying the key issues arising from the seminar, and has begun to be implemented (see below for key issues). Following feedback from the seminar, it was decided to hold the seminar on an annual basis, rotating the location so that it was not always held in London. 2. Executive meetings Regular executive meetings for each of the three projects, where the Executive Director and (where possible) some of the Trustees, would instead be held on average every six months. Dates for the next meetings with FreeREG and FreeCEN are yet to be set. Eric Dickens has decided to step down as the Chair of the FreeREG Executive, and Sandra Jones has kindly agreed to take this role on. Eric has worked tirelessly to develop and promote FreeREG during difficult times, and the Trustees would like to thank him for his work. He continues to assist Sandra as she adapts to her new role. 3. Access to data and copyright Following the seminar, this issue was identified as one of the key priorities moving forward. Since then, discussions have continued with the commercial players and the LDS, but the main concerns surround access to parish registers. As well as increased numbers of family history societies placing their transcribed content online with a commercial partner, county record offices are now putting their own pay per view content online directly (eg Essex). This development will increase the difficulty in gaining access to transcription material for FreeREG, and may necessitate a change in strategy. Accordingly, the Executive Director is framing a series of letters to CROs, FHSs, Diocesan authorities and Lambeth palace with advice from the Open Genealogy Alliance. 4. Software and website development Following the seminar, the Trustees have decided to fund a complete re-build of FreeCEN to create new transcription software, an updated search engine and associated website that is open source, with access to open data. A transcriber licence will be framed that is part of the new system. Styled FreeCEN 2.0, the project will be developed by a project team and delivered by a preferred technology partner, Citizen's Science Alliance. The aim is to not only migrate all data to the new site to make FreeCEN 2.0 a comparable resource to FreeBMD, but to then use the new transcription software and associated back-end resource to create FreeREG 2.0, provided the issues over data access can be resolved. In short, it would be a completely online transcription experience. More excitingly, the creation of an open source transcription tool will provide a resource that can be offered to CROs in return for data access, or other grant-funded transcription projects. This will place our project at the heart of the sector, and enable grant funds to be secured to underwrite the costs of our work. Furthermore, The National Archives have expressed an interest in sharing best practice and supporting our work, using their 'Living the Poor Life' project as an example of how to run a support network for transcriber groups online, something that was identified as an issue at the seminar. Delivering FreeCEN 2.0 and exploring the collaborative potential for the resource across the sector, including fundraising opportunities, will be a major piece of work for the Trustees and Executive Director over the next 12-18 months. This includes creating proper job specifications for key individuals throughout our organisation to support the technology that we are creating, so that the pressure and bottlenecks identified both during and after the seminar are removed, and a more regulated delivery can be implemented. 5. Marketing and Promotion Once we have signed off on the technology build, we will promote our aims - and any subsequent partner organisations - online and in print media. In the meantime, promotion of FreeREG and FreeCEN are necessarily limited due to the intention to rebuild the sites so that they are more user-friendly. Some useful suggestions were made at the seminar about regional promotion at family history shows, which are being explored from cost and practical angles. Internal communication within the projects was also identified as a concern at the seminar. FreeBMD now sends a monthly newsletter, whilst FreeREG and FreeCEN continue to update their members via email and online. 6. Open Genealogical Alliance The three projects continue to support the work of the Open Genealogical Alliance, which is encouraging and leading debate on the future of the sector. The OGA are assisting our work in the ways outlined above, as well as shaping the legal framework for the transcriber licence for FreeCEN 2.0. General If you have any general news items you wish to circulate more widely, please submit them to me, stating which project you work on and any position held; and I'll look to include them on forthcoming newsletters. They will be circulated every 6 months, although information will continue to be passed to each Executive or management committee as necessary. Nick Barratt

Hi all, have come across a "different" addendum on the above scan for the 3rd insertion at the bottom of the second column. I have entered it as follows: Rayns Josephine M.E. Brown Derby,3a 392 ____ #COMMENT(2): Previous and next partial entry are handwritten at bottom of column with this insertion point indicated Rayns Josephine M.E. Brown Derby,3a 4234/S Not sure if this covers the situation - any suggestions welcome! Cheers from "downunder" Mark Searle

Transcribers' Knowledge Base ( TKB) 6(am) seems to apply, together with TKB 6(q) I suggest as follows. Insert two entries after the entry for Rayns,Joseph, RAYNS,JOSEPHINE M.E.,BROWN,DERBY,3A,392 S'49 #THEORY,REF see S/49 #COMMENT(2) entry shows 392 S'49 and 4234/S bracketed together RAYNS,JOSEPHINE M.E.,BROWN,DERBY,3A,4234/S Remember that the purpose of a #COMMENT line is to direct the attention of a database user to additional information about and entry. The use of the 'Spectacles' icon alongside the search result will enable a database user to see the original scanned page. It is unusual to find an entry S'49 in a September 1949 page. Usually this sort of entry points to a different year or quarter. Your syndicate co-ordinator may advise you further. Jeff ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark" <mark@searle-ons.com> To: <freebmd-admins@rootsweb.com>; "Susan Hawkins" <thehawkins@optusnet.com.au> Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 9:56 AM Subject: Scan 1949B3R0081 > Hi all, > > have come across a "different" addendum on the above scan for the 3rd > insertion at the bottom of the second column. > > I have entered it as follows: > > Rayns Josephine M.E. Brown Derby,3a 392 ____ > #COMMENT(2): Previous and next partial entry are handwritten at bottom of > column with this insertion point indicated > Rayns Josephine M.E. Brown Derby,3a 4234/S > > Not sure if this covers the situation - any suggestions welcome! > > Cheers from "downunder" > > Mark Searle