FamilySearch Full Text search

By cryptoref on Thu, 03/28/2024 - 20:26

Forums

I'm loving the new Full Text search feature of FamilySearch. It's amazing to find all the records. I've not got a problem when I find something. Just figure out where you are and cite that easy peasy :)

The issue I'm thinking about is when I get an empty result. So, for instance, I'm looking William Parker, in the 1830's for Lawrence, Alabama. No hits. Do I attempt to figure out all the docs that the Full Text search is using (and I'm not sure I know for sure what that is given the rules sometimes as to what is and is not available) or just cite Full Text?

I'm going to go with just citing Full Text for now, but is that right?

FamilySearch, "Full Text search" [FamilySearch labs experiments, full text must be enabled] (https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text ), search terms, "William Parker" filter 1830, Alabama, no results.

Submitted byEEon Fri, 03/29/2024 - 18:40

Cryptoref, let me throw a couple of questions back at you:

  • If you went to a library and pulled every Alabama book off the shelf to look for William Parker, with negative results, would you feel a need to create a reference note to cite the library for negative results?  (It might help you to note in a research log that this task has been done; but that doesn't guarantee that the library will not, tomorrow, acquire a book that would be very helpful to you.)
  • If you went to FamilySearch.com and typed William Parker's name into its search box, with negative results, would you feel a need to create a reference note to say that you got no hits from that search? (Again, it might help you to note in a research log that this task has been done; but that doesn't guarantee that FamilySearch will not, tomorrow, add a new indexed series that has exactly what you need.)

The Full Text search feature, as helpful as it is, is in no way comprehensive for any one locale. Saying that we've run a name-search there does not mean that we've done "reasonably exhaustive research" in the records of that locale. The Full Text feature also misreads names, which would generate negative results even when the person is in a set of records that has been OCR'd. I'm also hearing reports that identical searches on different days are yielding different results. 

All things considered, if you create a note (in which the individual database should be cited before the website) you would need to include the date on which you made the search—as we do with all other database searches.