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.

Stake Indexing Statisticts

"It is tremendously significant to me that ....the foretelling of the Church's remarkable family history work occurred on the initial visit of Moroni to the boy Joseph Smith in 1823.......four years before he was allowed to take the plates from the hill, or before he received either the Aaronic or Melchizedek Priesthood, before he was baptized, and well before the Church was organized! It says much concerning the priority of this work in the plan of the Lord!"

Liahona, 1996 Gordon B Hinckley

Oklahoma City Stake Indexing Statistics for August 2010

August 38,191 names submitted 2171 names Arbitrated 25 batches to redo (not good)

Our cummlative for the year 102,793 !!!

CONGRATULATIONS WE DID IT

Statistics by ward:

Clinton 3018 names indexed

Edmond First - 2977 names indexed - 180 names arbitrated

Edmond Second - 2304 names indexed - 50 names arbitrated

Oklahoma City Fifth - 4353 names indexd

Oklahoma City First - 8177 names indexed - 1808 names arbitrated

Oklahoma City Third -6747 names indexed - 133 names arbitrated

University Ward - 89 names indexed

Quail Creek - 2591 names indexed

Village Ward - 7807 names indexed

Woodward Branch - 128 names indexed

THE TOP TEN INDEXERS THIS MONTH

Susan Crane - Village Ward - 6175

Gene Bushman - OKC 3rd Ward - 4235

Scott Foulger - OKC 5th ward - 4155

Lois Gilbert - OKC 1st Ward - 3105

Wilma White - OKC 1st Ward - 2185

Bobby Gilliland - Clinton ward - 1739

Gary Howell -Edmond 2nd Ward -1606

Shirley Corrigan - OKC 3rd Ward - 1588

Virginia Butler - Edmond 1st Ward - 1216

Barry Peterson - OKC 1st Ward - 1018

Great Work - let's keep up our pace and aim for 250,000 by the end of the year !!

Thank you all so very much

STEPPING UP

Three little Doll's

NEW STAKE GOAL FOR DECEMBER 31,2010 = 250,000 NAMES !!!

WE CAN DO IT IF WE JUST KEEP WORKING AT OUR CURRENT PACE.

TRY SOMETHING NEW

You may have noticed that there are not many beginners (1) projects

on the Indexing program. Salt Lake City is encouraging everyone who has been

indexing for a little while to try an intermediate project, (3).

What is the difference you say?

Beginner's projects are usually only one image, such as one image of census records that might have 50-100 names on it. All the lines you might need on your work space may have already been added before you started working.

An intermediate project contains multiple images, which may have multiple records on each image. Like the Oklahoma marriage records which usually have 10 images and 2 records per image. In these projects you need to shrink your image size to do an initial overview of the images. If there is more than one record on an image, add the appropriate number of lines for that image by using "Tools" at the top of your screen.

You start by putting in the image type for every image in your batch. On the OK Marriages, if there is an overlay you need to read the project information to learn how to deal with that situation. You index each image as a separate record, you do not say it is a duplicate even if it is for the same marriage. Only if the image is exactly the same as the previous image, then it is a duplicate, but it must be identical.

You also have to add the title ( Miss or Mrs) for the bride if it is hand written on the form. That is the only way you would know if her surname is her maiden name or a married name. the groom's title(Mr.) is typed on the form, so you do not index that.

The secret to trying an intermediate project is READ THE PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS AND FIELD HELPS BEFORE YOU START.

A Quick way to Get Help Indexing

Share A Batch

Do you ever find yourself working on a batch and you just can't figure out the spelling of a name? Or maybe you aren't sure what to index into a certain field. Won't it be nice just to ask someone what to do, without waiting for them to come to you or until you see them next time?

That can easily be done by "Sharing a Batch" with a fellow indexer, your Ward Indexing Specialist or with the Stake Indexing Director, me.

No waiting or no long explanations are needed, seeing is believing!

Follow these simple steps to get help and open your batch so someone else can see what you are doing:

1. Make a telephone call to the person you would like to help you.



2. Open the indexing program and select "work on Batch" to open the batch you are having a problem with.



3. Click on 'file' at the top left of your screen.



4. Click on "Share a batch"



5. A number will come up on your screen in a little box.



6. Give that number to the person on the phone.



7. That person will go to 'File' and click on "Receive a batch" and put in the number you just gave them.



8. Your batch will open on the computer of the person helping you. They will be able to see what you are talking about and to offer advice. You make the change or addition in your batch and you are finished.



9. The person helping you will close the batch and next time they log in they will get a message that the batch you were sharing with them is not available.

Helpful Name Hints

Guidelines for Indexing Names

• Type the most complete version of a name

Please take time to scan the entire document. In one place, the name may be C.H. Johnson. In another place, it may be Chas. H. Johnson. In yet a third place, the name maybe written as Charles Henry Johnson. Type only the most complete name

• Titles and terms do not go in the Given or Surname field

Titles such as Jr., Sr., Mrs.,Miss, Senor, Senora, Don, Dona, Captain, Dr., or terms such as Unknown, stillborn, twin, or infant are entered in a Title or Terms field if it is available as a column in the project.

• Punctuation in Names

Include punctuation that is part of a name: like O'Rourke, if it is written on the document. Do not include punctuation such as a period after an abbreviation or other punctuation that is not normally part of a name.

• Abbreviations

Sometimes names are abbreviated or a portion of their letters are written raised above the rest of the name, resembling a ditto mark. Type what you see, typing all letters on the same line. Do not guess what the abbreviations stands for unless directed to do so by a specific project.

• Maiden Names

Maiden names are considered surnames and should be typed before the married name in the Surname field. If you cannot determine if a name is a given name or a surname, type the name in the Given Name field.

• Indexing "Mrs. John White" :

When a woman's name is recorded with her husband's name instead of her own (such as Mrs. John White), look throughout the record to see if her given name is included elsewhere. If it is, index the most complete name that is recorded (such as Amanda White). If it is not, mark the Given Name Field as BLANK, and index the last name in the Surname Field. Do not index titles or terms such as "Mrs" in either the Given Name or Surname Field.

Indexing Tip:

ADJUSTING HIGHTLIGHTS

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO ADJUST THE HIGHLIGHTS IN A BATCH

1. Go to VIEW and click on Adjust Hightlights

Yellow boxes with red borders will appear. Click and drag red boxes into the corners of the border to fit your image. To turn off this feature, click on Adjust Hightlights again.

2. You can use the CTRL key as a shortcut to simplify your efforts.

Press and hold CTRL, and move the mouse pointer over the area where the highlights should be. The highlights will appear just as though you had selected Adjust Highlights from the View menu. Release the CTRL key when you finish adjusting the hightlights.

July 2010 Stake Indexing Statisticts

Indexing Statisticts for July are FABULOUS ! Thank you everyone

25,879 names indexed

1502 names arbitrated

Stake total for 2010 now at 64,597 names - 49 indexers this month!

Break down by Wards:

Clinton Ward - 1155 names - 4 indexers

Edmond First Ward - 1138 names - 3 indexers

Edmond Second Ward - 1575 names - 2 indexers

No Location assigned? 1248 names - 7 indexers

OKC Fifth ward - 28 names - 1 indexer

OKC First Ward - 8054 names - 16 indexers

OKC First ward - 1502 names arbitrated - 1 arbitrator

OKC Third Ward - 5185 names - 4 indexers

Quail Creek Ward - 2554 names - 8 indexers

Village Ward - 4690 names - 3 indexers

Woodward Branch - 252 names - 1 indexer

GOOD JOB

World wide indexers have indexed 100 million names since the first of the year ! Our stake is part of that effort and it is greatly appreciated.

To search these names cick on the "Indexing Links" tab on the bottom right of your indexing screen then choose FamilySearch RecordsSearch.

You can also go to www.familysearch.org and do a records search.