Allan, I am forwarding your comments and mine along to all my lists. Yes, the service is provided by OMS Services in England, a contractor, they have done all the digitizing of the records and programming to make it available online. GRO is not directly envolved. My communication with OMS is as follows: > What are the costs? By the hour or item? If by other than the hour not many will participate. Cost to obtain family rather than ndividual > data would prohibit an itemized cost. As far as myself is concerned, I have looked forward for such an index online. But if not cost effective I will not be able to afford it. > > Thanks, > > Bill Caddell > Granbury, TX USA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OMS Services wrote: Hi Bill, For access to the index database there is a charge of 6 pounds (approx, USD 10), which allows you to retrieve and display between 30 and 450 names, depending on how many 'hits' you get on a particular name. The basis is actually number of 'pages' of names you get returned in an enquiry, where each 'page' can contain up to 15 names (this is very similar to the way retrieved data is displayed currently at New Register House, Edinburgh, with the GRO(S)' existing system. We tell you how many 'hits' you have got before these are displayed, so you have the opportunity to refine the search - and reduce the number of hits - before display. The charge applies just to the displayed names. When you have used up the 6 pounds, you can accept a further 6 pound payment on you credit card. If you wish to order an extract (eg birth or marriage certificate) for one of the name you have retrieved, there is a charge of 10 pounds (approx. USD 16); the order info. is passed electronically to GRO(S) who send the extract to you by mail. After you have paid the 6 pound fee, you have up to 24 hours to 'spend' it, however many times you log on and off. We thought long and hard about how to charge for access to the database. We ruled out charging by the hour for access to the databse, because this would have allowed 'bulk downloading' of information from the database, and this data could then have been re-sold. For example, someone might decide to download all the entries for a common surname (eg MacDonald or Smith), amounting to many thousands entries. We were concerned to have a system of charging which would be fair for individuals doing research on their own family. We think we have got it right, but we will shall be interested on how the charging scheme will be accepted in practice, after the service has been running for a while. Thankyou for your interest. Regards. Ian Galbraith -- Ian Galbraith Director OMS Services Ltd 87 Moss Lane, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 3AT, UK Tel: +44-(0)181-866 5830 Fax: +44-(0)181-868 1160 email: ian@aecserve.com ====================================================== Allan P. Gray write: I am sure we were all excited to learn that the General Register Office planned to put its indices for deaths, births and marriages online early this year. And when it was recently announced that these would be available April 6th. some of us have been virtually straining at the leash. But even more recently we have been informed, see http://www.open.gov.uk/gros/groshome.htm, that there will be a charge for this service. We knew and expected that there would be a charge for any copies of documents ordered from the GRO but the planned charge for mere index access of six pounds was not previously mentioned (the GRO does not tell us how or how often such a charge will be assessed). The GRO will surely realize a huge increase in document orders and corresponding income as a result of the index availability online - surely enough over time to compensate the office for the institution of this service without charging for an index search alone. Moreover, there is the more general question of great importance to family history researchers, of whether or not the public should have to pay for access to public records. The GRO is the custodian of these documents, not the owner. For the first time the internet provides a voice for users to try and influence bureaucratic decisions. The GRO already has my letter. ALLAN P GRAY in Round Rock, Texas.