One more thing to keep in mind- we are creating an "index" making the censuses and other records more readily searchable. But in the end, it's always best for the researcher to go to the original image and as I teach "see what your eyes see, and not what those of the indexer saw." I am grateful for the many hours spent indexing- definitely easier for me to double check a few possibilities than to search through endless pages to find what I am looking for. And helpful for me as an indexer and arbitrator to think I am doing my best, but knowing those searching their own ancestors may see things a little differently than I do, having experienced that myself. Tamara Stevenson On 4/26/2012 6:34 PM, Pam Petterborg Ingermanson wrote: > I have had a LOT more compassion for indexers since I started help > indexing and especially since I started arbitrating. It is not so easy > to criticize now that I am making the decision as to what shows up. > That is why I am indexing and arbitrating my head off so that I can > contribute as accurate a record as possible. I read and reread and > reread and reread the instructions and the updates so that I follow > them as accurately as possible. Some of the instructions are buried > pretty deep down inside and are hard to find. I know the work that is > being done is important and that many miracles will need to happen for > it all to come together but oh my goodness, look how far we have come in the last 10 years!!!! > ~Pam > >