Digitized LDS Films Online

I was told this morning by a Mormon Elder that the digitizing of the films in the Salt Lake City Repository is proceeding well. A process begun two years ago.

He told me that the first digitized films will be online shortly, and that they will be closing many Family History Centers, consolidating them since everything will be online soon. The remaining consolidated FHC's will be mostly for people without Internet access.

I was informed that the second Beta testing of the new software to view the films is nearing a successful conclusion.

I was told volunteers are needed who read Spanish to help index the digitized films. If you volunteer you can work from your home.

He said it took twenty years to index the 1880 census, so the indexing of the huge LDS film collection will take longer than the actual digital filiming.

I could not pin him down on how soon is soon, but I would not be surprised to see original documents online later this year.

This will of course, be an incredible leap forward for our purposes, and genealogy in general.