More news about the new LDS web site A quote from CNNNews: March 8, 1999 Web posted at: 2:02 p.m. EST (1902 GMT) (CNN) -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it will make its collection of genealogical records - the world's largest - available on the World Wide Web. A statement about the plan was posted on the church's official Web site on Friday saying that a beta test of the new Web site will begin in March or April. A formal announcement of the finished site is expected by late spring or summer. > One leader last year said the church has archived the names of 13 billion people from 110 countries. "There are millions and millions of records just in their International Genealogy Index alone, and millions more in their ancestral files, and both of those are electronic databases," Karen Clifford, president and chief executive officer of Genealogical Research Associates, said in Saturday editions of The Salt Lake Tribune. > The church said it is posting the information as a service to help people trace their family history. The genealogy files are currently available to the public through a system of 3,200 Family History Centers around the world. > The church, commonly known as the "Mormon" church, has been involved in genealogy since its founding nearly 170 years ago. The church gathers the records for proxy ordinances performed in its temples. Mormons believe that people need such ordinances in the afterlife. > The Associated Press contributed to this report. >