Family History Library Catalog 2.0

I've always been a huge fan of the Family History Library Catalog online at FamilySearch.org - a finding aid to over 2 million rolls of microfilm and hundreds of thousands of books, maps, and other printed sources relating to family history from more than 100 countries. As useful as it is, however, there are so many online genealogists who either don't know it exists or how to use it effectively. That's why the announcement this week of a new "Web 2.0" version of the Family History Library Catalog is so exciting!

As announced at the National Genealogical Society conference this past week, FamilySearch.org and FamilyLink.com are partnering to publish the Family History Library Catalog as an interactive online tool. New functionality and enhancements to the catalog will make it searchable by major online search engines (meaning many more genealogists will discover and use this valuable resource) and will allow users to annotate item descriptions to make them more useful. This could mean anything from adding better record descriptions, tips for searching and using the record, or links to an online digitized or transcribed version of the record. FamilyLink.com will also be adding links to the online source for each record, when available, whether it's on FamilySearch.org; on other genealogical sites such as Ancestry.com, WorldVitalRecords.com, FindmyPast.com, Footnote.com, USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb; or on government, archival or library sites. Users will also be able to add or suggest a new source, and rate or review a source based on its usefulness.

New search functionality will also be added to the catalog, with guided searches to help beginners identify what they want to learn about their families, point them to relevant records, help them obtain and search the records, and assist them with applying the new information to their family history research. Users will also be able to browse the catalog as usual, with extra enhancements such as the ability to sort results by popularity, relevance, most used,etc.

For more details, check out FamilyLink.com CEO Paul Allen's great blog post on his exciting plans for the new Family History Library Catalog 2.0.