"Camera and key icon" records not viewable?
I returned to my local FHC after a long absence but I was unable to view "camera and key icon" scanned records. I was under the impression these records were viewable at any FHC. Has there been a change in the privacy policies from the original record holder? Thanks.
Comments
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A "camera and key" has never meant that it is guaranteed that you can view them at a FHC. It means that you cannot view the records from your current location and religious status. Sometimes you can view the records by going to a FHC or Affiliate Library, sometimes you have to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
If you click on the camera/key icon at home (make sure you are logged into your account first), you will see a message. The message may say you need to go to a FHC, or it may be vaguer and talk about using the website of the record custodian. The latter message is a euphemism for needing to be a Latter Day Saint to view the records.
There is also a third possibility, that the computer you were using was not properly configured as a FHC computer.
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The message I receive are generally
This image is unavailable for online viewing at this time.
Error loading image. Please try again later.
I respect any decision to limit viewing based on privacy contracts. It just seems there must be a better way to inform viewers that records are not accessible for viewing without making a trip to a FHC and then haranguing the staff to ensure that a technical IT issue is not the cause.
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In my experience the message you are seeing usually indicates a short-term IT issue. I suggest trying again (from home) in a few days time. Hopefully then you will then see a more informative message.
There was a time when non-LDS users were explicitly told they couldn't view certain records because of their (lack of) religion. Now even the official article explaining what different messages mean makes no mention that some records are available to Latter Day Saints only (https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/what-are-the-image-restrictions-in-historical-records). The very last message is what a non-LDS usually sees when trying to access LDS-only records.
What records are you trying to view? If you give the film number, then someone on here may know more about why those particular records are restricted.
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