An Ordinary Person's explanation of Indexing: 

The Church has millions of records on microfilms.  Patrons have to go to the Family History Library and search these microfilms on a microfilm reader machine (or order the microfilms sent to a local FH Center for a fee), in order to find their ancestor's birth record, etc. 

Since digital cameras were invented, the Church has undertaken the huge project of taking digital photographs of each of the records on the microfilms.  These pictures of the actual records (birth, death, marriage certificates, etc.) of your ancestors will be made available, free of charge, to view over the internet from your own computer.  In order to have the correct image linked to your ancestor's name, each record must first be INDEXED.

So INDEXING is the important middle step that must happen in order to connect the image to the name, so they can be found and viewed when you search on your ancestor's name.

The more people that help with this huge indexing project, the faster these images will become available to you on your computer!

FamilySearch Indexing

A new software program that will make it faster and more convenient to create indices to genealogical records. This software is available on www.familysearchindexing.org. It allows stake extraction workers and community volunteers to download and index images over the Internet.


What is Indexing?

Volunteers extract family history information from digital images of historical documents to create indexes that assist everyone in finding their ancestors.




Understanding the History of Extraction efforts:

Glossary of Terms:
extract
In Church extraction programs, the process of transcribing or part or all of the information found in a paper, microfilm, or CD record and entering that portion into a computer. The Cooperative Indexing Program, introduced in 1988, is a means to work jointly with nonmember organizations in extracting and automating family history information. For example, the 1881 British Census extraction project that utilized various family history societies in England who to help extract the data from the 1881 British census. Especially in cooperative indexing projects, the word transcribe is used in place of extract. The Univeral Data Entry software is usually used for both types of extraction projects.

extractors
Volunteers who copy part or all of a records into a computer program as part of the extraction programs.

extraction programs
Church programs in which members transfer family history information from paper records or microfilms into computer files. In the mid-1960s, the Church began extracting names directly from parish and other vital records to supplement the names submitted to the temples by members. The various types of extraction programs are: Stake Record Extraction, introduced in 1978, it moved record extraction from Church headquarters to stakes. At stake centers, members copy information from microfilms onto cards or computers. Family Record Extraction, introduced in 1987 as a means to add information to the FamilySearch™ computer files, made extraction possible in members' homes. They can also do data entry at home or at a meetinghouse. In 1992, both of these extraction programs were combined into one program called the Family Record Extraction Program. See also Universal Data Entry system
FREP = Family Record Extraction Program