2025 Family Search Centers closed in 2 states

@CopperhairEmeraldeyes you should be able to unsubscribe from this thread by clicking on its blue bookmark , if that doesn't work please post again.

I have today, with help from 2 lovely missionaries, successfully tested access to 'FSC-only' resources from my Windows 11 laptop at my local LDS church (not a FamilySearch Center).

1. I connected to the church's Liahona Wifi Network (this required a password which the missionaries were able to enter for me).
2. The FamilySearch Center Premium Content Chrome extension (which I had previously installed, see https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/family-history-center-premium-content-browser-extension) immediately recognised my location.
3. I started the FSC portal https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/portal which seemed to work fine (Ancestry Institution came up OK). I left it open in Chrome, but I am not sure whether this was necessary or not.
4. I clicked on the various links I had brought with me. Everything that had come up from home as 'accessible at a FamilySearch Center' (example: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS6F-7SQN-S) worked perfectly.

Thank you @MandyShaw1 for documenting your visit to a LDS church with your laptop and successfully being able to log into the restricted records usually only accessible in a FamilySearch Centre.

It is somewhat strange to me that this ability to access these restricted records in a LDS church location is not apparent immediately from the page "Find a FamilySearch Location Near You" https://www.familysearch.org/en/locations/about which says "You can access FamilySearch center premium content" 

It's not immediately apparent to me anyway, although I see from the Chrome Extension download, even though the "main wording" is all about the subscription family history websites, if you read further down it does say "limited-access records."

I am a FamilySearch Center Coordinator/Director. I think the answer would be that the "locations" program only highlights FamilySearch Centers because that is where people would get genealogical help. The fact that the Church Meetinghouses each have the ability for people (members of the church and those who are not members of the church) to access the Premium sites on their own laptops is not really well known or advertised among regular church members, though many of the church members who are regular Family History researchers may know. It is a fairly new thing (maybe the past 4 years?) and the general membership of the church are mostly not aware. That being said, I believe it would be a great thing if the missionaries - regular young ones and "senior" missionaries would be taught about it - as they have access to the buildings and often give building tours which would be a natural way to provide access for the first time - and then to provide a visitor with a schedule when the building is open and a visitor could come in with a laptop and sit in a classroom or the foyer and do some research with people around, but just blending in with a youth activity in the building or a women's meeting (Relief Society), etc. So - really - it would be easy enough to do - but it is little known and not advertised - yet.

Thanks so much for sharing Amy! I was looking for that article. It is the perfect end to this string:)

I see it too! Awesome! It's time:)