In the process of indexing, have you ever had a question and not known where to turn for help? For some indexers, your questions might have to do with the indexing program. What do all of these buttons do, and why are they important? This printable indexing user guide will assist you in the basics of how to work the computer program. We recommend that you print off a copy and use it as a reference while you are indexing.
Whether you are new to indexing or have been helping for a while, we have something for you in this article. Keep reading to find out where you can go for help.
New to indexing?
There are five places we recommend you check first when you have a question:
- Tutorials: There are four tutorials available, depending on your indexing role. If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch these short instructional tutorials, please take the time to go through the one that fits your role.
- Basic Indexing Guidelines: (for all projects), or press F1 when using the indexing program. This link will take you to the Basic Indexing Guidelines.
- Project Instructions: The accuracy in indexing depends on READING and UNDERSTANDING the instructions for the project. This tab will take you to a wealth of knowledge for the project, including project updates and sample images, and will help clarify any questions you might have.
- Project Updates: A link to project updates can be found under the Project Instructions tab. Updates are added as a project progresses and will display information that may answer your questions.
- Field Help: Field Help is used in every batch to clarify questions on the field being indexed. Examples of different fields would be: Image type, surname, given name, country, age, gender, dates, etc.
- This tab will change with each field being indexed. It will give you a brief description, instructions, and often a sample image showing where you can find the information on the image.
Are you ready to take your indexing to the next level?
There is a great resource within the indexing software that will help you advance your indexing skills. After you’ve downloaded a batch and have it open, click on the Help menu at the top of the screen. There is a wealth of knowledge under this Help tab. We will cover just a few. However, we encourage you to explore all of the menu items.
- Help or F1: This link provides a brief description of the topic and a link for more in-depth information. Clicking on the links will within this item will take you to FamilySearch landing pages on the Internet. When done with the page, just click on the FamilySearch indexing icon to return to your batch. This will be a great way to advance your indexing skills by researching more in this area.
- Contact Support: Contact information to local and FamilySearch support.
- If you have a group administrator or stake indexing director, you will find contact information for each listed under this tab. These two people will be the closest local help for indexing. Try contacting your local support first, and then contact FamilySearch support if you still require assistance.
- Resource Guide: This quick link to the indexing “Resource Guide” is found at familysearch.org/indexing/help. The Resource Guide includes links to the tutorials, FAQs, forums, language resources, and more information for each role within indexing.
- Ask a Question: Type in the Search field any question you have, and the database will search our help resources for the answer.
