The Newsletter of the Family Records Centre (FRC) - Issue 16 Autumn 2001 (3rd online edition)

General News from the FRC

Christmas Closure

Please note that the FRC will be closed from Saturday 22 to Wednesday 26 December inclusive.

Closure Dates in 2002

Tuesday 1 January (New Year's Day)
Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April (Easter)
Monday 6 May (May Bank Holiday)
Monday 3 to Tuesday 4 June (Jubilee Holiday)
Monday 26 August (August Bank Holiday)
Wednesday 25 to Saturday 28 December (Christmas)
Wednesday 1 January 2003 (New Year's Day)

Open Evening

The next FRC Open Evening will take place on Wednesday 14 November in the Refreshment Area on the lower ground floor from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Refreshments will be available and we hope that as many of you as possible will take the opportunity to come along and discuss the latest developments in the FRC's services.

From Strangers to Citizens

From mid-November, the FRC will be hosting the PRO's exhibition which charts the developments in a thousand years of British immigration. It includes amongst its themes: Black People in Britain before 1800, Slavery and Empire, War Service and Post War Immigration. The exhibition will take place in the display area on the first floor.

Family History talks at the FRC

Those of you who attended the Family History Talks at the FRC this summer will be pleased to hear that we will be hosting a further round of talks next year. Meanwhile the talk on World War One Army Ancestry which was cancelled at short notice in August has been rescheduled for Tuesday 13 November. We have also arranged a talk and a book signing session from Nick Barratt the author of 'Tracing The History Of Your House' on Tuesday 20 November. Both talks will take place in the Meetings Room at the FRC, starting at 2pm and lasting roughly one hour. Tickets will be available on the day from the New Customers Desk on the first floor and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. No advance bookings will be taken.

Children at the FRC

We fully appreciate that researching your family history is a hobby which can involve the whole family and the FRC has therefore always welcomed children. However, there have recently been a few instances of unaccompanied children wandering around the building. This can create genuine health and safety concerns and it can also hinder users accessing the records. Customers are asked to ensure that children under the age of 16 are always accompanied by an adult so that everyone can enjoy the FRC facilities.

News from ONS

Delivery Targets

We are delighted to report that during the first half of this financial year (2001/02), we met all our turnaround targets for certificates, as well as replying to all correspondence (letters, e-mails etc) on time. During the period April to June we processed over 180,000 applications for certificates with over 95% produced on time. During July to September we did even better, processing almost 188,000 applications, with 98% of certificates produced on time.

This compares very well with our performance of 2 and 3 years ago when, due to a variety of factors, delays of many weeks were experienced. At that time we vowed to improve our performance level, and are rightly proud of our recent achievements. Our goal is to maintain existing levels of service and further improve the quality of what we produce.

To ensure that there is no slippage we now keep a very close check on our performance levels, and any signs of fluctuating demand for certificates. Contingency planning ensures that we are able to adapt quickly to any changes and revise staffing levels accordingly.

Details of our published turnaround times, and targets for certificate production were published in previous editions of this Newsletter, and are on public display at the FRC.

On-line ordering of certificates

Last year's Certificate Services Communications Review identified a customer need for an on-line ordering system for certificates. This would allow orders to be placed on-line, in a secure environment, by debit or credit card, with certificates sent by post to the customer. Work has started on developing such a facility, which would be accessible via the Statistics.gov.uk website. A further update will appear in the January edition of the Family Record.

Public Search Room Accommodation

Those who regularly visit the FRC will be aware that the recently extended Scotlink area of the Public Search Room (PSR) has several tables and chairs situated around the room. They are for use by our customers when filling in application forms etc. as a temporary arrangement. Although some tables and chairs can hopefully be retained, it is intended to move some of the indexes into this area in due course. This should help to reduce congestion in the Search Room, particularly along some of the busiest aisles.

Following customer feedback, and in an attempt to avoid the congestion which occurs at certain times of the day, we also have plans to re-organise the reception and public enquiry areas on the ground floor. Once professional plans have been drawn up they will be put on display at the FRC. Any construction work that this may entail will be undertaken outside public opening hours, so if and when this happens, disruption will be minimised.

The FRC Management Team are also investigating the possibility of providing a limited, staffed catering facility on the lower ground floor of the FRC. Our catering supplier is currently considering options, and the feasibility and viability of such a venture. Watch this space ..........

Tills Update

The time has almost come when our existing tills will need to be replaced. They have served us well over many years, but sadly cannot continue forever. We have therefore been actively investigating the possibility of installing electronic tills. A project has been set up to take the work forward.

Subject to satisfactory progress on the development of the software and successful backroom trials, we plan to trial one of the tills in the PSR "live" environment. This may mean making some adjustments to the till counter area. In the meantime we will do our best to maintain the current tills, extend their working lives for as long as possible and minimise any inconvenience to customers.

Open Forum

On Saturday 22 September an Open Forum for GRO customers was held at the Public Search Room. The event was held on a Saturday to give an opportunity to those customers who only use the FRC at the weekend to meet with Certificate Services Branch staff from the FRC and Southport.

Many interesting queries were raised, responses to some of which have been highlighted in previous editions of this Newsletter. Customers expressed an interest in the "talking wall" which demonstrated the certificate production process from start to finish. Also copies of register pages as they appear on the microfilms proved to be very useful in resolving enquiries - for example why several entries have the same GRO reference.

Preparing For The 1901 Census Release

The release of information from the 1901 Census will almost certainly generate increased interest in our birth, death and marriage records. We have therefore been busy drawing up plans to ensure that we can cope with an increase in applications for certificates, continue to meet our advertised turnaround times and avoid any delays. As reported above, we are also reviewing the PSR's floor plans to create more space around the indexes which are most likely to be in greatest demand.

Registration Review Update

Following the publication of, and responses to, the consultation paper "Registration: Modernising a Vital Service", the Government's policy document on civil registration and access to records is eagerly expected. Once the policy paper is published we will see if an evening seminar can be arranged to discuss the implications of the policy and plans for implementation. We will also arrange for a summary of the policy document to be made publicly available at the FRC.

Customer Service Staff

Customer service staff at the FRC have occasionally been subjected to unpleasant behaviour from users. Although these incidents are few and far between, they can still be distressing for the staff as well as for other customers. Our aim is to provide a high standard of service and customer care. The staff will do everything they can to help: please treat them with respect.

News from PRO

Family History Databases

Recent visitors to the first floor will be aware that we have replaced the CD-ROM's and the computers used for accessing Family Search and the 1881 Census Index with a networked computer system.

There are now 16 computers, all able to access Family Search, the 1881 Census Index, the British Isles Vital Records Index, the National Burial Index, and the PRO's On-line resources (PROCat, the PRO website, etc.). Family Search includes the latest IGI Addendum data while the 1881 Index is viewed using Resource File Viewer v.3, allowing you to carry out more advanced searches.

This is a significant improvement on the previous system, and we have already received encouraging feedback. If you use the system, please let us know what you think by filling in a Your Views Matter To Us form.

Disruption in November

To allow us to install the computers and other equipment for accessing the 1901 Census Online service, Area A on the first floor will be closed from Monday 5 November.

The motorised film readers and the printer in that area will be redeployed in Areas B and C. At the same time, we will be taking the opportunity to improve the layout of the fiche area and the location of the census surname indexes.

In order to maximise the number of film readers available after the closure of Area A, we will be removing a number of fiche resources which are available in other formats such as the 1891 census on microfiche, and one of the two sets of 1881 census indexes on fiche.

Area A will remain closed until 2 January 2002. Work will be carried out during opening hours within Area A, but any works likely to cause disturbance to customers will take place at night. If you have any queries about these works, or the changes described above, please contact Clive Hawkins, FRC Operations Manager.

The 1901 Census at the FRC

Many of you will already be well aware that the 1901 Census will be released at 9 am on Wednesday 2 January 2002.

At the FRC, there will be 48 computer terminals in Area A on the first floor to access 1901 Census Online. In addition there will be 4 networked, self-service A3 laser printers. These machines will be set up solely to access Census Online.

Vouchers for using the Census Online service should be on sale from mid-November in the FRC Bookshop and at the Copy Desk.

Despite the fact that the 1901 census will be available online, worldwide, we are still expecting a surge in customer numbers at the FRC, as was experienced at the time of the last census release in 1992. If a similar increase in demand occurs this time around, the FRC will almost certainly reach capacity. Staff at the FRC have been looking at systems and methods for handling the extra demand, as well as drawing up contingency plans. One of the systems that will be put in place will be a ticketing system for using the 1901 Census terminals. This system is designed to accommodate as many people as possible, while permitting a fair and reasonable opportunity to use the system during a visit. The tickets will be available each day, on the day, on a first-come, first-served basis, and will allow use of a terminal for one hour. We recognise that the system may not be perfect, but it will be necessary if there is a large demand to use the service at the FRC. We will keep the situation under constant review after the launch, and wherever practical we will modify the ticketing system in order to provide the best service possible to our customers, under the circumstances at that time.

If a significant surge in demand does materialise, it will certainly have knock-on effects for the other services at the FRC, and this is included in our planning. It should be noted that to comply with our Fire Safety Certificate, the FRC has a specified customer capacity for each floor, and equipment is in place to monitor the numbers on each floor. Should we approach capacity, it may be necessary to restrict access temporarily to part or all of the Centre, to ensure the safety of those already on the premises. Any decisions to impose such restrictions will have to be taken at the time, and so advanced warning will not be possible. Any such decisions will always be taken for health and safety reasons. This should be borne in mind by those planning to visit the FRC in early 2002. We will update you with the latest situation in the next edition of the Family Record at the end of January.

If you have any queries about the planned operation of the 1901 Census at the FRC, please contact Clive Hawkins, FRC Operations Manager

World War One Soldiers' Documents

Several more batches of World War One Soldiers' Documents (WO 363) are now available at the Public Record Office, Kew. The records, which can be seen in the Microfilm Reading Room at Kew, can give you a fantastic amount of information on your ancestors' army service. The records are now available for all surnames except those beginning with the letters; G, H, I, J and K. These will be made available over the next year or so, with the last batch due for release in August 2002.

1901 Census Online

1901 Census in final stages

The transcription of the 1901 Census is now complete. During the next few months we will be finishing the checking and loading of the data.

1891 Pilot

The 1891 Census Pilot for Norfolk ended on 3 August 2001. It was available for 15 weeks and users accessed about 600,000 pages.

The most important aspect of the pilot was your feedback. Over 2,000 users completed the online feedback form. We also received letters, phone calls, faxes and emails. Many of you also commented directly to members of the 1901 Project team at Family History fairs (in London, York and Weston super Mare and in the USA). We ran two special sessions in the Cyber Café at Kew giving free access to users and attendees at the PRO's Family History Summer School also had free access. Members of the 1901 Advisory Panel were also consulted at various stages and have given us invaluable feedback.

We could not make all the changes suggested in your feedback during the pilot but we will be implementing some of them for the main 1901 service.

New features in 1901 Online Service

Forename search

The most popular request was for searching on forename only. We are considering such a search and have been discussing this with the 1901 Advisory Panel.

Home page

A new streamlined home page will greet you when you first access the site. There will be a menu so that you can go straight to the service you need.

Search pages

The layout will be changed to reduce the need to scroll down the page for buttons to activate your search. It will be clear how to access an image of the census page or transcription.

Place name search

We are working on a new way of searching places giving the user an option of a basic place name search and advanced place name search.

Credit card sessions extended

Many of you said that 24 hours for the minimum charge when using credit cards was not long enough. We will extend the period to 48 hours.

Vouchers extended

Although we did not have the voucher system available for the 1891 Pilot many of you have said that you would need longer than two weeks to use your £5 and £10 vouchers. We will extend the expiry time for vouchers to six months. This will apply to £5, £10 and £50 vouchers.

We have also extended the range of discounts available for those wishing to purchase vouchers in bulk (minimum purchase £100). These are as follows:

Orders valued £100 - £499 10% discount
Orders valued £500 - £999 15% discount
Orders valued £1000 and above 20% discount

Image price reduced

Many of you found the pricing structure confusing especially as the unit prices did not add up easily to £5. We shall charge 75p for an image of the census page and 50p for the transcription of the details for an individual. The price for the transcription of others in the same household as the individual remains at 50p.

For more information about the 1901 Census Online project, visit the website at: www.census.pro.gov.uk

Further information

If you would like more information about any of the items in this newsletter please telephone 020 8392 5300 or visit our website at: www.familyrecords.gov.uk

To subscribe to the electronic version of the Family Record please send an email to:

FRC-Newsletter@pro.gov.uk

with the word 'Subscribe' in the subject heading.

The Family Record is jointly produced by the Office for National Statistics (General Register Office) and the Public Record Office.