RE-DO BATCHES

The Question was Asked:

What is a Re-Do Batch?

When you complete a batch and submit it another person will also do the same batch. The work of the two indexers will be compared, side by side, by a third person who is called an Arbitrator. This is done before the work is released to "Records Search" for the whole world to see.

The Arbitrator is the person who is sending back batch's that are not done correctly. The most common reason for an arbitrator to return a batch is because the work is not complete. If an indexer forgot one or two lines of data that isn't too bad because that could be fixed with little effort. But when most of the data is blank , then the batch is returned and someone else gets to "redo" that batch. Both batches would not go back, just the one with the missing data.The arbitrator has no idea who did either batch, or who will be getting the "redo" batch to work on later.

As an arbitrator I try to fix as many mistakes as I can, but we are told not to try to re- index the missing data when a large percentage of it is blank.

As Indexers the best thing way avoid getting your work sent back as a "Re-do" is to make sure you shrink the image to about 37% and move the image around to see both the left and right sides and all the way to the bottom before you start indexing. You may have to add lines to your work sheet at the bottom. Or on some of the marriage records you will find two marriages on one image, so you would have to set the number of "Records per Image" at 2.To do this you go to "Tools" at the top of your screen, click on "Records per Image" then change the number in the little box to the number that you need. You can add numbers, but you can't subtract numbers.

Some projects are set for a specific number of lines. Example: New Jersey State Census project is set at 47 lines per batch. What if there is only 10 lines with names written on the Image? Well you would enter the 10 names, and you mark the remaning 37 lines as "Blank". Each line must have something in it before you submit it.

The only way you will know if you have batches that are sent back would be if your Ward Indexing Specilaist, or I, would tell you what is happening. We will have no idea what batch it was, or what type of record it came from. There is help available to help you find out what may have been wrong. One thing we could do is "Share a Batch" with someone else to check your next batch before you submit it. Most times it is a simple misunderstanding on how to add lines to your work sheet. It is something that can be fixed. There is plenty of help available.

So if you are working on some new projects, be sure to read the project information and field helps. Be sure to move that image around so you see all of it. Then if you are still concerned about the directions please call me or email me, or call the Help desk in SLC for an explanation. It's toll free 1-866-406-1830.