Sent to me by another researcher
Karen
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As an FYI item, the Church News of January 20 has an article
entitled: "A
billion names soon to be accessible Online." It quotes Bro. Richard E
Turley, Jr., who is the managing director of the Family and Church History
Department
"Beginning in February, a massive new stream of uploads to
the site
will bring the total of online names to 1 billion, expected by the end of
the year. Included in these uploads will be 2.2 million records of middle
America-Mexico, the Sweden records of the Scandinavian Vital Records Index
with 1.1 million names, the Social Security Death Index with 64 million
names
and most significantly, an update of the Church's International
Genealogical Index, with an addition of 125 million names. Vital records
from other areas will follow.
Uploads such as these will be ongoing throughout the year, and
patrons
should check frequently to see if information they need has been added
recently."
Other facts that were mentioned - The Family History Library has more
than 2.16 million rolls of film, 173,795 sets of fiche, 288,000 books,
14,000 serials and 8,000 maps. The Church has 300 cameras in nearly 50
countries capturing 75 to 80 million images a year.
There are 30,000 extractors working around the world to index records. In
1999 the collection at the FHL increased by 4,100 rolls of film and 700
books.
There are more than 3,500 family history centers in 75 countries
that
order 70,000 rolls of film a month. The church is adding some 200 centers
per year.