Subject: National Archives & FamilySearch

For Immediate  Release                                                  
23 October 2007

National Archives and FamilySearch Team Up to  Digitize and Index Mountains 
of Historic Documents

SALT LAKE CITY—The  National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of 
the United States and  FamilySearch today announced an agreement that will lead 
to the digitization of  millions of historical documents over time. The bulk 
of the digital images and  related indices will be freely accessible through 
www.FamilySearch.org, 4,500  family history centers worldwide, or at the 
National Archives and its Regional  Centers.

The agreement is the result of several years of  discussions between the two 
organizations and NARA’s new long-term strategy for  digitizing and making 
available major segments of its vast collection online to  the public. 
Ultimately, the records digitized by FamilySearch will consist of  court, military, 
land, and other government records that include information of  genealogical 
significance for family historians. The records date as early as  1754 to as late 
as the 1990s. 

Almost all of the records in the  National Archives currently are not readily 
accessible to patrons who visit the  National Archives or one of its regional 
facilities. The newly digitized and  indexed records produced under the 
agreement will be available online—greatly  increasing patron access.

“For a number of years, we have had a  very productive relationship with 
FamilySearch,” said Professor Allen Weinstein,  archivist of the United States.  “
This agreement expands our relationship  to enable online access to some of 
the most popular and voluminous records in  our holdings.  It is an exciting 
step forward for our institutions and for  the American people,” he added.

Under the new agreement,  FamilySearch will be operating highly specialized 
digital cameras 5 days a week  at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. 
FamilySearch intends to extend the  digitization services to select regional 
facilities at a later date. That means  there will be a continuous flow of new 
data for genealogy buffs to explore for  years to come. It also means 
FamilySearch will be able to digitize the thousands  of microfilms it has already created 
from NARA’s holdings—providing access to  millions of images for 
genealogists to search from the convenience of their home  computers with Internet access.
The first fruit of this effort is a portion  of a very large collection of 
Civil War records, already underway. In this pilot  project, FamilySearch will 
digitize the first 3,150 Civil War widow pension  application files 
(approximately 500,000 pages). After digitization, these  historical documents will be 
indexed and posted online by Footnote.com with the  indices also available for 
free on www.FamilySearch.org.  FamilySearch  intends to do all 1,280,000 of 
these files over the coming  years.

James Hastings, director of Access Programs at the National  Archives, said, 
"For decades the National Archives has helped thousands of  researchers gain 
access to this rich trove of records in Washington. Thanks to  this agreement 
with FamilySearch, this valuable information will now be  available to millions 
of users around the world in a far more accessible  format."

Wayne Metcalfe, director of FamilySearch Record Services,  said, “No single 
group can preserve, organize, and make available all the  information contained 
in the world’s important genealogical documents—like those  found in the 
National Archives of the United States. Such immense undertakings  require the 
cooperation of record custodians, researchers, and specialized  services. 
FamilySearch is committed to being an integral partner in this global  effort.”

FamilySearch is the largest international organization of  its kind, working 
with national archives and record custodians worldwide to  preserve and 
increase access to records of genealogical significance. It is  currently working on 
projects in over 45 countries. 

About the  National Archives. The National Archives and Records 
Administration, an  independent federal agency, is the nation's record keeper. Founded in 
1934, its  mission is unique—to serve American democracy by safeguarding and 
preserving the  records of our Government, ensuring that the people can 
discover, use, and learn  from this documentary heritage. The National Archives 
ensures continuing access  to the essential documentation of the rights of American 
citizens and the  actions of their government. It supports democracy, promotes 
civic education,  and facilitates historical understanding of our national 
experience. The  National Archives meets a wide range of information needs, 
among them helping  people to trace their families' history, making it possible 
for veterans to  prove their entitlement to medical and other benefits, and 
preserving original  White House records. The National Archives carries out its 
mission through a  nationwide network of archives, records centers, and 
Presidential Libraries, and  on the Internet at www.archives.gov. 

About FamilySearch. The  Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU)—doing business as 
FamilySearch—is a nonprofit  organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints.   FamilySearch maintains the world's largest 
repository of genealogical resources;  these resources may be accessed through 
FamilySearch.org, the Family History  Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and over 
4,500 family history centers in 70  countries.  FamilySearch is a trademark 
licensed to GSU and is registered  in the United States of America and other 
countries.