Q.	Why doesn't the FamilySearch website provide details of IGI coverage?
A.	Don't know. The microfiche version of the IGI included the Parish & Vital Records List which listed its coverage, parish by parish. But this useful finding aid was dropped from the CD and web-based IGI, so there are no official published listings. Hence a number of websites such as this one have been created to fulfil the need, usually for specific countries.

Q.	Does new FamilySearch include all the old IGI data?
A.	There were reports in 2012 that some batches weren't there, but according to the LDS the old IGI data had now all been transferred across by August 2012.

Q.	What about the user-submitted data?
A.	Most of this was of questionable quality and contained lots of duplication. However, it did also include some high quality batches such as the Jeremy Gibson marriage index for Oxfordshire (batch codes starting 725...), which seems no longer to be available.

Q.

The new FamilySearch website seems to produce many more results than the old one.

A.

Yes, the main reason is that there's frequently a separate record for all parties to a baptism - father & mother as well as the child. Secondly, some parishes have similar or identical sets of records from two different extraction programmes, but sharing the same batch number. The two sources have a "System Origin" of either EASy ('Extraction Administration System') or ODM ('Ordinance Data Management'). Look at the detail of each record to see this information. This page has more information.

Q.	Where are batch numbers displayed on the new site?
A.	On the detail pane for each individual the Batch Number now appears as an "indexing project (batch) number", and has a dash inserted before the final digit, so that C036541 now becomes C03654-1. But when searching, you can still enter the batch number without a dash.

Q.	Can you search for batch numbers in the current LDS Library Catalogue?
A.	Seemingly not, though you can search for Film Numbers here. The source Film Number appears on the detail pane for each individual, as well as the Batch Number. The new Library Catalogue still seems not to be finding film numbers.

Q.	I've noticed some errors on your website
A.	Yes, some batch searches seem to access the wrong set of data, and others don't produce any results. I don't know why this happens, possibly these were old IGI batches that haven't been transferred to the new site.

Q.	What happened to the British Vital Records Index (BVRI)?
A.	This was released on CD's in 2002, but was discontinued in 2008. The data was added to the on-line IGI and so should appear in the new Historical Record Collections.

Q.	Can I still access the old version of the IGI?
A.	No, it was switched off in June 2012.

Q.	Can you export data from the new FamilySearch site?
A.	Yes, see Home page.

Q.	How did you create this website?
A.	By writing software to automatically interrogate the IGI batches on the old FamilySearch site.

Q.	Does that mean you'll be keeping this site up to date?
A.	Hopefully yes, though the new FamilySearch website is slower to analyse.

Q.	Will you be adding details of the other Historical Record Collections, e.g. England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991?
A.	Hopefully yes.

Q.	Do you have any other software?
A.	Yes, see my main website at www.archersoftware.co.uk.