Difference Between Family Search Affiliate Libraries vs Family Search Centers
February 7, 2023
Fort Myers Regional Library
The Difference Between Family Search Affiliate Libraries vs Family Search Centers
On January 10, 2023. Family Search formally announced names changes for both the Family History Library and Family History Centers. The new name for the Family History Library located in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the Family Search Library. All Family History Centers worldwide will now be known as Family Search Centers. The purpose is in conjunction with Family Search’ s expanding global brand. The following link goes into more detail on the name changes. https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/family-history-library-renaming
The name changes will have no impact on services offered by Fort Myers Regional Library. Fort Myers Regional Library is a designated library affiliate of Family Search. Public or university libraries, archives, museums, or genealogical societies can become affiliate public libraries. While affiliate libraries will have some limitations in terms of services and accessibility to some Family Search Historical Records due to copyright and licensing restrictions, the level of access available surpasses what can be achieved from home or from non-affiliate status libraries.
If patrons encounter restricted access records, the librarian or local genealogy society volunteers on duty are trained to provide possible alternative options and solutions that include providing the patron with contact information for the nearest Family Search Center in the area or region. This information would usually include the director’s name, phone number, email contact, and hours of operation. At the Fort Myers Regional Library, we also provide driving directions to the two nearest Family Search Centers in our region.
A major benefit of being an affiliate library is access to additional digital records not available outside a Family Search Center or an affiliate library. These digital records include images and names indexes. Currently, there are about 400 million original records available in a digital format that affiliate libraries have access to. Affiliate libraries also receive a monthly e-newsletter subscription for reference staff to stay abreast of what’s new and the latest tips and tricks for supporting family history patrons.
The Family Search catalog uses icons to quickly tell the patron the accessibility of the records they are seeking.
A document icon means that the resource is only an indexed record or transcription of the document.
A camera icon means you can view the image of the original document from any web-enabled portable device.
A camera with a key icon indicates that access to an image is restricted, such as an image that can be seen only at an affiliate library or a family history center.
As stated previously, access to some images will are restricted to Family Search Centers. If you encounter a record of this nature, the message will appear on the screen stating that access is restricted to Family Search Centers. Family Search publishes copies of records only after gaining permission from the original record custodian (generally a government agency) and faithfully abiding by all the stipulated conditions and applicable laws. To remain in compliance with these agreements and standards, Family Search occasionally needs to adjust access to specific records. If you cannot find a record that was previously accessible, it is likely due to stipulations from the record custodians.
If you encounter this situation and cannot locate a Family Search Center near your place of residence or visit the Family Search Library in Salt Lake City, Family Search offers a lookup service. For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.familysearch.org/en/library/record-lookup-service.
Feel free to contact me with any additional questions or comments on this matter.
A document icon means that the resource is only an indexed record or transcription of the document. 
A camera icon means you can view the image of the original document from any web-enabled portable device.
A camera with a key icon indicates that access to an image is restricted, such as an image that can be seen only at an affiliate library or a family history center.