Norfolk PR no longer public-and-free on familysearch?!

[bugbear]

I have long had reason to be grateful for the PR scans available on familysearch.

https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https://familysearch.org/recapi/sord/collection/1416598/waypoints

In conjunction with FreeReg, this has been a treasure trove.

But when I tried to access them just now (Tue May 16 12:19:08 ) I got

These images are viewable:

    To signed-in members of supporting organizations.
    When using the site at a family history center.


I signed in to my familysearch account, but it made no difference.

Have they changed policy?

 BugBear

[groom]

Could it be that as they are now on  FindMyPast they are no longer free on FamilySearch? 

[Pejic]

Who or what are now "of FindMyPast" ?

[bugbear]

Could it be that as they are now of FindMyPast they are no longer free on FamilySearch?

Nasty, if that's the case. I wonder if the NRO had a say in that? Mind you, given our
lovely govt, the NRO probably need the money.

 BugBear

[smudwhisk]

The Norfolk PRs are also on Ancestry, along with indexed Bishops Transcripts for the county.  That said, Familysearch had uploaded some more that weren't part of the original release and which aren't available on Ancestry or FindMyPast.

[bugbear]

Aargh. They're removed the Norfolk Electoral Registers too, and recently.

I downloaded a couple of pages on May 2.

 BugBear

[dawnsh]

I queried this exact 'error' message with them in January and got this reply

  "These images are viewable: To signed-in members of supporting organizations." 
 
Due to contractual limitations, you may get this message showing on your screen. Each film and image has a contract that indicates the rights and who can use them and see them. This is a big legal matrix regarding who is signed in, the place they are signed in, and what restrictions have been placed on the films. These contracts are reviewed regularly, and the archivists can remove rights at any time.
 
 
Please make sure you are signed in, and if you still get this message, these two options may help.
 
You may be able to subscribe to Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, or Myheritage to see some of these images, since many are duplicated at these third party companies.  Many of these companies have a free trial period that would let you see the image immediately.
 
Another option is that almost all films and images can be viewed from inside a family history center.
 
 
We are again sorry for the issue, but contracts with the archivists limit to whom and where access is given.

Have you spoken with Norfolk ARchives about this? they may not be aware.

[bugbear]

Have you spoken with Norfolk ARchives about this? they may not be aware.

I have now emailed the Norwich Record Office on this.

Their email address is norfrec[at]norfolk.gov.uk, should anyone else
wish to raise the matter.

BugeBear

[bugbear]

And here's their response.

Dear Mr Womack,

To the best of my knowledge, the Norfolk Record Office has not changed any of its agreements with Family Search and we haven't heard about any changes from them.

Several users have told us this week that they have suddenly found it difficult to access Family Search.  Some users have also told us that they found it necessary to sign up for a free account before they could access the records again.

We have had a look at the Family Search website and, from our computers here, the information is still there but looks to be located in a different place. Try accessing it through https://familysearch.org/ then select the search icon (computer with a magnifying glass), scroll down to browse all published collections (located a few lines above the map) and enter norfolk in the box on the left which says filter by collection name.  You should hopefully see a list on the right which includes the Norfolk Parish registers, electoral registers and marriage bonds.  If you are still having difficulty accessing Family Search they we can only suggest that you try contacting them direct using the information on their website.

With best wishes,


<NAME REDACTED> | Archivist
Norfolk Record Office, The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 2DQ