Hello Listers, Let me help to clarify the situation with familysearch.org for you. Amongst all my other duties I am also a Family History Consultant at our local centre and have been the British and European Research Specialist there since 1983. Family Search has undergone a massive transformation and is still in the process of many changes - all to do with getting records online. Most importantly, though, is the fact that Family Search is bound by their original and renewing licensing agreements with the various archives, libraries and other record owners such as Canterbury Cathedral Archives. At the time that the Kent records were to go online a new deal had to be negotiated and unfortunately, Family Search was barred by the various archives from permitting the Kent records to be displayed at will on anyone's computer worldwide. Consequently, anyone who wishes to use the Kent records - there are a few that are wide open to the public but not very many - must be logged in at an "authorized" computer terminal. Those authorized terminals are located in the family history centres and in a few major libraries. I know it is a problem for many people who are unable to go to a family history centre or to even get to one of the authorized libraries. The best suggestion that I have is that those who are unable to do so send a friendly letter or email to the various archive offices requesting that the records be opened up for public viewing at will. For instance, Cornwall records are all available to anyone anywhere. Devon, however, is in the same boat as Kent. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Susan D. Young Chief Executive, Ancestry Solutions www.ancestrysolutions.com County Administrator, Kent OPC Project www.kent-opc.org

Thanks Susan, for clarifying the situation. Often many of us are left in the dark as to why & what and all sorts of queries. Cheers Andy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Young" <zandara@cogeco.ca> To: <kent-eng@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 2:57 PM Subject: Re: [KENT-ENG] Familysearch records only available at centres > Hello Listers, > > Let me help to clarify the situation with familysearch.org for you. > Amongst > all my other duties I am also a Family History Consultant at our local > centre and have been the British and European Research Specialist there > since 1983. > > Family Search has undergone a massive transformation and is still in the > process of many changes - all to do with getting records online. Most > importantly, though, is the fact that Family Search is bound by their > original and renewing licensing agreements with the various archives, > libraries and other record owners such as Canterbury Cathedral Archives. > > At the time that the Kent records were to go online a new deal had to be > negotiated and unfortunately, Family Search was barred by the various > archives from permitting the Kent records to be displayed at will on > anyone's computer worldwide. Consequently, anyone who wishes to use the > Kent records - there are a few that are wide open to the public but not > very > many - must be logged in at an "authorized" computer terminal. Those > authorized terminals are located in the family history centres and in a > few > major libraries. > > I know it is a problem for many people who are unable to go to a family > history centre or to even get to one of the authorized libraries. > > The best suggestion that I have is that those who are unable to do so send > a > friendly letter or email to the various archive offices requesting that > the > records be opened up for public viewing at will. For instance, Cornwall > records are all available to anyone anywhere. Devon, however, is in the > same boat as Kent. > > I hope this helps. > > Sincerely, > Susan D. Young > Chief Executive, Ancestry Solutions www.ancestrysolutions.com > County Administrator, Kent OPC Project www.kent-opc.org > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > KENT-ENG-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message