In a message dated 10/17/2008 9:45:45 PM Mountain Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: ....LDS ...in negotiations with the individual regional archives.... He also said that the plans were to index the records... volunteer indexers were needed.... There are some records available on a pilot site now - here is the url http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html?datestamp=120753 9963875#p=0 There is now a rumor that the LDS plans to shut down access to the search.labs digital images of records to all but members of the LDS church for an unspecified time. The plan is to again provide open access but there is no rumored date when that might happen. This may be related to the controversial (to some) issue of LDS post mortem baptisms of persons named in their filmed / digital records. There may be some negotiation on that subject at the moment or the LDS may want time to assess what they will do without opening up any records to controversy. Non-members of the church who are volunteering to index the records on film may be a little upset by doing this work and then finding they cannot access the digital records they have indexed for a certain time period. I hope this will not suddenly apply to all records in the library catalog wh ether digital or on microfilm. Remember, this is a rumor. I feel it may be creditable because I heard it from a very well-versed researcher from Eastern PA who often visits the Warsaw archives and has several contacts with the LDS records management. She has also said that the RCatholic church in Poland and some other areas where she does ressearch has halted all filming of church records -- most likely because the bishops disapprove of the potential for and LDS baptism of RC church members. Persons who want RC church records now have to provide a document certifying with the stamp of a church that they are members in good standing. She did not say anything about assurances that they are descendants of anyone in particular which is usually the main issue for privacy. Any list members who have been putting off looking at what is available at the search.labs website for Litomerice and perhaps Wittengau, Troppau and Opava, or anything else that has been added might collect what they want soon just in case the rumored limited access turns into reality in the near future. As for the Polish records from Galicia that were filmed after being ' liberated' by the Third Reich during WW II, I understand that the originals were returned to Poland with the understanding they would be available for persons wanting to do research of any kind. They had been held by the RC Archive in Regensburg. Before the books were returned they were microfilmed but some of the archivists have reported that a lot of the images were of very poor quality. I don't know if the LDS made any copies of those films or made their own films of those records back when it was still permitted. I DO know that there are some RC records from Poland in the LDS library catalog -- at least there WERE some as late as 2005. All of the protestant records removed from Poland during WW II are still available on film at the LDS. Protestant churchbooks are considered to be public records but the RC churchbooks are the "property of the Church". Karen **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)