This blog article is to acquaint you with a great tool for Temple and Family History Consultants, the BYU Record Linking Lab. They are helping FamilySearch with several projects for which you can volunteer to help. Their website also includes several videos to help you in your individual Temple and Family History work as well as helping as a consultant. The following is taken from their video, “Three Things to do During a Family History Visit,” by Joe Price, director of the BYU Record Linking Lab.
”If you have recently been called as a Temple and Family History consultant, here are three things you can do when you visit with people in their homes. They follow the 3 Ts that you see along the bottom of the Family Tree App (on an Apple device): Tree, Tasks and Temple. The most important thing is to look for ways to connect with people and help them in their own homes.” -Joe Price, BYU
Tree: Once you have logged into your FamilySearch app on your phone, go to the bottom of the screen and find the “tree” icon. Select an ancestor by tapping on them in your tree. Once the person page appears, tap on Memories. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a circle with an + sign. Next, tap “Add a Photo.” Now you can add a photo from your phone’s camera roll or take a picture to add. Once you have added the photo, tap Save. That picture has now been added to the individual’s personal profile.
Tasks: When you tap on Tasks, you will see three colored circles; orange, green, and blue. Tapping on the blue circle will allow you to review records that are potential sources for an ancestor. Once on their page, look for the blue circle and tap on it. This will bring up the record. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on Compare. Records help us find valuable information about our ancestors and verify them. Look at the record side by side with your ancestor’s information to see if it is a match. Look for same dates, places and family members to verify that it is the same individual. Add any additional information from the record by tapping on the “Add” arrow and then attach.
Temple: To take an ordinance to the temple, tap on the Temple icon on the bottom of your phone’s screen. When the “Ordinances Ready” prompt appears, tap on it. This will bring up an additional screen where you will be able to select which ordinances you would like to do. Tap on the ordinance and it will search your family tree for ordinances, names from the temple list and, now, if members of your ward have shared names with the temple, you may have the opportunity to take one of their ordinances to the temple. Once you have reserved the ordinance(s), you will have the option of printing the cards out directly (if your phone is linked with your printer) or saving a QR code to take to the temple where they can print the cards for you.
When taking these ordinances to the temple, take a couple of minutes to acquaint yourself with your ancestor. View your relationship. Tap on their person page and find out a little bit more about who you are taking to the temple. It will be a much more meaningful experience.
The 3 Ts are great steps to take when you first visit with someone who is new to family history; Tree, Tasks, Temple. They will be certain to have a successful experience and make discoveries that will turn their hearts to their ancestors.
See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9ZQkVHXwOg&t=22s
-Janet Helland, Granite Family History Center, Assistant Director Consultant and Patron Services