New contract for ScotlandsPeople website 2016.

[DavidG02]

Did a search term on ScotlandsPeople ( 1 word) so this topic may already be elsewhere under a different area.

I went to the library and was looking through the WhoDoYouThinkYouAre magazine dated December 2015 where I came across a little blurb stating ScotlandsPeople are not renewing their agreement with the owners of FindMyPast and will be going with a group called CACI

http://devolved.governmentcomputing.com/news/nrs-picks-caci-to-help-develop-scotlands-people-ancestry-site-4691870

I always have concerns when changes occur in this manner. Mainly monetary ie will I be slugged for this ''development'' - and before others come in and argue that '' they have to make money'' - I agree they do, just not sure what level of development they can do. Anyway I wait and see.

The second part of my query is what do FindMyPast own? ie can they put the transcriptions and records on their own stand alone site that were previously quarantined on SP?

Has anyone heard anything more? 

[Forfarian]

I went to the library and was looking through the WhoDoYouThinkYouAre magazine dated December 2015 where I came across a little blurb stating ScotlandsPeople are not renewing their agreement with the owners of FindMyPast and will be going with a group called CACI

Correct.

I always have concerns when changes occur in this manner.

Likewise. I like the existing SP web site because it presents the information in a no-nonsense way, not all prettied up and slowed down with unnecessary graphics and fancy pictures, and I hope that the people at SP who are commissioning CACI will take note of this and not allow them to 'improve' the SP online system too much.

Mainly monetary ie will I be slugged for this ''development'' - and before others come in and argue that '' they have to make money'' - I agree they do, just not sure what level of development they can do. Anyway I wait and see.

I think not, because as far as I know the charges for using SP are set by SP, not its web site contractor.

The second part of my query is what do FindMyPast own? ie can they put the transcriptions and records on their own stand alone site that were previously quarantined on SP?

No, they can't.

As I understand it, FindMyPast is owned by Dundee-based D C Thomson, whose core business is newspaper publishing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Thomson. The strapline at the bottom of the SP home page reads, "A partnership between the National Records of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon enabled by DC Thomson Family History." D C Thomson Family History has since been renamed FindMyPast.

Note the word 'enabled' in the strapline. D C Thomson or FindMyPast has been the IT contractor linking the information to the user. It did not own the information or control access to it; merely provided the online interface between the owner and the user.

The Scottish records belong, in effect, to the National Records of Scotland and FindMyPast cannot publish them without the approval of the Scottish government. Given that the Scottish government, via the GROS which is now part of the NRS, has invested heavily in SP I cannot imagine that such permission will be forthcoming.

[andycand]

Hi

There shouldn't be any change in Scotlandspeople as it is a Scottish Government website (note the URL .gov.uk)  DC Thomson (the owners of Findmypast) are contracted to run the website on behalf of the Scottish Government and for what ever reason there is going to be a change of contractor. There may be some inconvenience during the changeover, and possibly changes to the website look and layout.

Andy

[msr]

I admit to some surprise that this agreement was reached.  There was an outcry in Scotland when CACI were awarded the 2011 census (perhaps Ireland too, but don't quote me).

The US based company was accused of various things, and thought not to be very ethical    (understatement).

Why not keep it British?

So, they are designing the new website and testing it now, rolling it out in September, but will it be any better?  Who knows.

Susan

[DavidG02]

Thank you both.

I too am enjoying the layout. Now I can spend a bit and have a look around I have come to appreciate the simplicity of it , but also the direct access to parish records etc

[buckhyne]

....The second part of my query is what do FindMyPast own? ie can they put the transcriptions and records on their own stand alone site that were previously quarantined on SP?
Has anyone heard anything more? 

That's a good question.
I use FindMyPast for the Scottish censuses 1841-1901 and for the newspapers.
If/when Scotlandspeople & FindMyPast divorce will that mean no more Scottish censuses on FindMyPast?
What other Scottish data is on FindMyPast (apart from British military etc).
It annoys me that they advertise the 1939 register as being UK but you have to dig deep to discover it is England & Wales only. 

[rosie99]

FindMyPast and Ancestry only have Scotland census transcripts, I presume that Scotlands people web site shows the original census copy.  I would doubt that they would be withdrawn.    The transcripts I mean 

[buckhyne]

FindMyPast and Ancestry only have Scotland census transcripts, I presume that Scotlands people web site shows the original census copy.
I would doubt that they would be withdrawn.    The transcripts I mean 

I forgot about that.
Perhaps you're right.
The only thing that justifies me using FindMyPast are the Scottish censuses + newspapers.

[DavidG02]

I must admit I hadn't thought of it going the other way. Until I needed to dig down to the nitty gritty I was quite happy using FindMyPast for my searches in Scotland. Most of the early records are there and baptisms and marriages etc as well ( depends on what burden of proof you desire)

Then I found there was a lot more detail on SP. The ''proof'' to the searching on FindMyPast.

I hope this continues