Digital Images no longer available for large number of areas
Images covering varying locations have reverted from "Camera Icon" to "Microfilm Icon" What's causing this and when will it be fixed? Most of the ones I noticed this on were court or probate records. Counties in my research that were affected were in several different states so I don't think it was a case of the availability rights expiring. Any idea when this will be fixed?
Best Answer
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@Marie Cooke Beckman I have an answer from our Records team. This is a know issue. Here is the official answer.
“Before Thanksgiving, a system change at FamilySearch restricted access to images in several United States historical collections. We are working to restore access to as many of the images as we can as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience during this process.”
They are working hard to fix these issues and are hoping to have resolution soon. I've asked to be kept in the loop so I can report back to you. So sorry about this.
Sam 🤗
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I also have the issue of the "Image unavailable for viewing at this time".
I am trying to access the Zimbabwe civil registrations (death records) and when accessing through the normal route I get this screen every time for every Zimbabwe batch of files.
With help from a research centre volunteer, I managed to see a different (and more comprehensive) list of files. These are also frustrating, as some have the camera icon and are accessible, whereas others (most files) have the key symbol.
There is no explanation for this. The help service has "escalated" my query, but nobody is responding!
The question remains - the Zimbabwe files were all searchable and accessible. WHY NOT now? what has changed?
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I am getting frustrated with the Zimbabwe records. They were all digitised and made available, but now they are not accessible. I can get to the list of collections, then the list of files, then the place names, but as soon as I select a file to view I am confronted with a blank screen and the "image unavailable at this time" message. There is no explanation given as to why they are not available, nor any hint as to when they may be made available.
Please could someone explain?
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@Beverleyn You've posted in the FamilySearch Community where we are mostly other users of the website. That means we don't have an answer.
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Thanks for reporting the change. I will see what I can find out about this.
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Hi Aine
So doesn't anyone on here have a hotline to Head Office?? How can we get answers to questions then?
Bev
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Thanks @Maile L. I know there were a few, some months ago, but it seems to be more widespread now. And it doesn't appear to be a contract change.
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I am not connected with FamilySearch. Although it is not a really a catalog matter, perhaps you could try contacting the FamilySearch Library on one of the emails listed in the following link
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Thank you @MaureenE123 and Maile L . I am trying as many avenues as I can at the moment in the hope that someone will take up the cause and find out what is going on.
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@Beverleyn Maile, as a Mod, has the most direct line of contact. I would recommend allowing her to pursue before making yet another appeal.
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@MaureenE123 , @Áine Ní Donnghaile ,@Maile L
Thank you all for your suggestions. I have contacted the catalog people as suggested by Maureen, and have already received this helpful reply:
"Thank you for reporting the error you have found in our catalog and records. This information, along with a replication of the problem and appropriate screenshots, has been forwarded to the contracts and compliance team that will be able to address the issues. It appears a new contract code was triggered for some of these digital films but not all, even though they are all registered on the same contract. We have included this in the explanation. We cannot offer a timeline of when it will be resolved but be assured, we will address it as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and encourage you to check back periodically for updates and corrections. "
Great! I look forward to being able to view the "missing" images one day soon.
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@Marie Cooke Beckman - perhaps you could try reporting your issue to the helpful catalog people too - see link above in Maureen's post.
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Exactly the same issue currently with several collections of Carroll County, Georgia, records. The response I received today:
“Thank you for reporting the errors you have found in our catalog and records. There has been a recent issue with access to films in our catalog. It appears a new contract code was triggered for some of these digital films but not all, even though collections are registered on the same contract. Our Contracts and Digital Access teams are currently working to resolve this issue.
We cannot offer a timeline of when it will be resolved but be assured, we will address it as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and encourage you to check back periodically for updates and corrections.
Sincerely,
FamilySearch Library”
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