Friday, October 10, 2014

FamilySearch ~ Research By Location

Recently FamilySearch enhanced the search interface of their main search page by adding a Research By Location section.  I’ve been surprised how many of my contacts have overlooked the feature given its prominence on the page.  However, until you’ve used it the first time, its graphical representation looks just like that.  A graphic.

fs_search_by_location

Web site design has changed over the past year or two to a flat style and fewer interactive graphics are used in the style.  That is unfortunate because they can be very useful to visitors to the site.  FamilySearch takes advantage of the graphic on the main search page by turning it into an interactive hot map. 

Run the cursor over the map and the regions of the map light up based on the organization of records collections in FamilySearch. 

To look at records about New Zealand, simply click on the county on the map.

Both new Zealand and Australia are listed for that geographic section of the world on the next screen.

fs_search_by_location_country

Click on New Zealand to see the collections about the country on FamilySearch along with their related statics.

fs_search_by_location_stats

Click on the Start researching in New Zealand link to go to a new design that is specific to the country you’ve chosen.

fs_search_by_NZ

Additionally, the page includes links to any research training courses about the country that have been produced by FamilySearch and links to the county in the FamilySearch Catalog and to related articles on the FamilySearch Wiki.

fs_search_by_learning_center

The Research by Location design is not only welcome but well designed to assist researchers regardless of their level of genealogy research skill.

Try it.  I think you’ll like it as much as the rest of us who use it daily.

Posted 10 Oct 2014 by Lee R. Drew on Lineagekeeper’s Genealogy Blog