Prevent Source Duplicates

Helen Coppieters

When a source is suggested with the blue help icon and it is added, or is already listed, the help suggestion should not continue to appear as help. At present as many times as the Icon is followed, the source can be added to a person. The result is multiple sources listed for the exact source which is unnecessary and redundant. I feel bad deleting them, but over 40 sources are not needed when many are have the identical information. Thanks

Julia Szent-Györgyi

Hmm? Source Linker cannot create duplicate sources: if it's already attached, it says so, and you have to detach it if you want to use Source Linker to attach it again/elsewhere. And blue source Hints are by definition indexed and therefore use Source Linker.

Perhaps what you're seeing as duplicates aren't actually: maybe they're different indexings of the same page, or different filmings of the same page, or bishop's or archive's copies? Even when such sources have identical data, each one provides unique information: a link to the different index or film or copy of that data. It can be important to retain those different links, because the record custodians may be different entities, so one image may be available online, while the other isn't.

Paul W

@Helen Coppieters

If we are correct in our interpretation of what is happening, you can confirm this by opening each source and comparing the URLs. Like Julia, I would have thought that these seemingly identical sources have been indexed, either: from a different filming of the exact same material (say parish register); the indexing project has been otherwise duplicated, or a completely different source (say Bishop's Transcript rather than Parish Register) has been used. I admit that having "over 40" of these for one event does seem difficult to account for. FamilySearch has recently added four sets of records (all appearing to have identical content) involving Yorkshire, England parishes, and I'm finding it annoying enough to add just this amount. (As this affects multiple relatives, I am having to add a huge amount of sources, in total.)

The reasons for leaving them all attached (and not "deleting" them) are:

(1) In case another users can easily attach the discarded sources to their relative (of similar, but incorrect identity) and,

(2) As Julia suggests, in future, some of these sources will no longer be accessible - due to being "retired" by FamilySearch, or having permission withdrawn by the record custodian(s) for FamilySearch to publish their version of the record, after a certain date. (One copy of a source / record might appear in FamilySearch courtesy of Find My Past, but another through an agreement with the actual, original record custodian.)

Personally, I wish FamilySearch could keep a closer eye on its indexing projects, to at least ensure identical records (same material, but from a duplicate filming, etc.) were not subject to multiple indexing and publication. Currently, I find even my Sources sections far too cluttered, though I only have a fraction of the problem you appear to be experiencing. However, other users seem to be delighted with having lots of sources containing identical information, as if it somehow reinforces the correctness of the data - all of which could be wrong, or apply to another individual of similar identity!

Please come back to this converstaion if we are misunderstanding your problem - illustrating specific examples might be of help on the off-chance there is a solution to your specific issue.

Helen Coppieters

Thank you for your specific response. I better understand what is happening.