by Cathy Gilmore | Apr 15, 2020 | Features, Software
Jump-Start Your Family Archive with a Kindex Box Special
Kindex is here to help you rescue your family records by offering an incredible deal on an all-inclusive family record rescue! We are extending our “Box Special” RootsTech pricing through June 2020 to help Utah residents take advantage of this incredible offer.
What is a Box Special?
A Box Special is an all-in-one solution to rescue your family records. We will:
- Scan of one full banker’s box of records
- Provide curbside pickup and dropoff of your family records (Weber, Davis, Wasatch, Utah, and Salt Lake Counties)
- Include a one-year subscription to a Kindex Cloud or Closet Archive ($60-$120 value!) Learn more about our archive features.
- Process and load all digitized records to your Kindex archive
- Provide a flash drive backup of all digitized records
- Create a custom “How To” video to help you get started
Ready to go? Contact us using the link below to take advantage of this offer.
Have more questions? Keep reading.
FAQ
- Who provides the banker’s box?
You may use any standard size banker’s box you have. Banker’s boxes can be ordered from office supply stores.
- What type of records can Kindex scan?
Photos, letters, diaries, documents, and scrapbooks. If there are documents that require special handling, such as fragile or oversize documents, or a large number of bound volumes, an additional fee will apply. If you wish to digitize film, slides, audio, and video, these items can be quoted separately.
- What scanning standards does Kindex follow?
a. We scan photos at 600 DPI and documents at 300 DPI. Higher or lower res files can be provided upon request (additional fee may apply).
b. We can provide both PDF and JPG file formats. PDF files are generally optimized for size and faster loading. Additional formats, such as TIFF, can be provided upon request (additional fee will apply).
c. Processing digitized records includes (when applicable): rotation, cropping, standard color correction, combining related scans, and naming each file using an agreed-upon nomenclature. For example, scanned letter pages will be combined into a single PDF file. Custom file correction available upon request.
- Can Kindex scan more that one box?
We can offer one Box Special per household at the promo price of $299. Additional Box Specials are $599.
- When will my Box Special be complete?
Turnaround is typically four weeks, but we may require additional time depending on schedule.
- What if I need time to gather my records?
As long as we start on your Box Special in 2020, you’re good to go!
For questions about the Box Special, or to get started, contact us using the the link below.
Share & Index Publicly
Unlimited records
Unlimited Collaborators
/MONTH
$0/month with
Kindex Rewards
Invite-only
Unlimited records
Unlimited collaborators
/MONTH
$5/month with
Kindex Rewards
Get a searchable archive fast with a custom scanning & archive bundle!
1-Year Cloud or Closet Archive
+ Scanning
by Cathy Gilmore | Mar 24, 2020 | Features, Software
Over the past several months we’ve rolled out many new and improved features for our Kindex archive owners and Kindexers. Here’s a summary of what’s new.
1. “Not Indexed” View
Now it’s easier for you and your indexers to find records that need to be indexed. Click on the Not Indexed button to see only records that have either 1) not been started, or 2) are in progress and not complete.
2. Searchable Record Info
We expanded our searchable record info to include the Keyword and Provenance fields. The Title, Description, and Transcription fields were already included in search results.
3. Increased Record Size Limit
In order to accommodate larger record sizes, we increased our file size limit from 15 MB to 25 MB.
Note: Uploading batches of records that include a high number of large files is not recommended.
4. Expanded Archive Stats
In the Manage Archive tool, Overview tab, we’ve added a more detailed set of archive information that tells you how many records have been added and indexed in your billing period. You can also see your Reward Status to find out how close you are to earning a $5 indexing credit.
5. Expanded accepted file types to accept MP3 Audio files
6. Expanded Text Editor Buttons
Text editor button functions
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Record Info |
View and edit the record’s Title, Record Type, Category, Person, Description, Keywords, Provenance, and Date |
 |
Undo |
Undo your last action |
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Redo |
Redo your last action |
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Strikethrough |
Format transcription to match strikethrough text in original. Highlight word or phrase and click the Strikethrough button. |
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Underline |
Format transcription to match underlined text in original. Highlight word or phrase and click the Strikethrough button. |
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Inline note |
Use when record has text inserted within a line. Highlight the text above the line and click the inline note tool. |
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Marginal Note |
Use for notes written in the margin or otherwise not part of the flow of the document. Marginal notes appear as footnotes within the record. Highlight the text above the line and click the inline note tool. |
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Image |
For records that contain images, or for records such as photos, use the image tool to add a description of the image within the transcription. Images are numbered in the case of multiple images on a page (as found in scrapbooks). You may also delete an image description box. |
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lllegible text |
Use when you are unable to transcribe a word or phrase. To mark an area that has illegible text, place your cursor where the text should be and click the illegible text button. |
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Table |
Add a table to organize your transcription data |
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Page Break |
To add a page break, click this button. |
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Bold |
New! Bold text. |
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Italic |
New! Italicize text. |
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Indent |
New! Indent paragraph. |
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Outdent |
New! Outdent paragraph. |
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Align |
New! Change paragraph alignment. |
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Bullet |
New! Make a bulleted list. |
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Numbering |
New! Make a numbered list. |
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Help |
Click the Help button to get indexing helps and guidelines. |
Bug Fixes
- Fixed bug that prevented admins from deleting files.
- Improved transcription field capacity to accommodate large transcription content.
- Fixed bug that prevented admins from deleting Collaborators.
by Cathy Gilmore | Feb 12, 2018 | Features, Software
We are excited to announce the release of a major update to Kindex archival software, with several new features that will make creating your searchable family archive faster and easier. We’ve maximized space, improved archive organization, and enhanced record navigation and transcription. Check out the updates below or watch our Kindex Feature Update video.
Organize & Browse Your Archive
- Enjoy an expanded viewing area for your records
- Access tools to add, filter, move, and delete records
- Click a record to view or edit (add a transcription, description, or metadata). Note removal of “Transcribe” on record thumbnail. Purple checkmarks indicate indexing is complete.
- View All Records or Indexed Records
- View your archive record total and indexing progress
Manage Your Collections
- View Collection record totals
- Organize your Collections by using Sub-Collections
- Use collections to filter your record views or search
- Hover over record number to edit or move Collections
View & Transcribe Records
Navigate your Archive
- When a record is open, you can view and edit records consecutively with new new navigation buttons above the record
- The same navigation buttons appear below, along with a Save button
- A button under the transcription shows indexing progress as Complete or In Progress. When a transcription is done, click the “Read it!” link to read the completed transcription
We hope you enjoy this update. Let us know what you think!
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by Cathy Gilmore | Nov 3, 2017 | Software
It’s your archive—use what’s in it! Just-released software updates make it easier than ever to access, save, and utilize your archive data and source records. Kindex archive owners can now:
- Download archive data as XLS (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet)
- Download archive data as CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
- Download archive records as ZIP (Compressed Archive File)
When you download archive data, your archive and record data is saved to a separate XLS or CSV file, including:
- Archive Info: Your archive name and subdomain
- Record Info: Metadata, including File Name (linked to source on Kindex), Collection, Title, Person, Description, Keywords, Provenance, Date, Place
- Record Transcription
- Tags (markup within transcription)
Learn more about how Kindex metadata tools add value to your family records.
When you download archive records, you get a ZIP file of:
- All records you contributed to your Kindex archive
- All records Collaborators have contributed to your archive
- All records shared to your archive from FamilySearch
How do I Get Started?
- Log in to your Kindex archive
- Click the green cog
(upper right corner) to open Manage Archive
Select the Tools tab and choose your download.
- To download your archive data, choose either XLS or CSV and the file will save directly to your download folder.
- To download your archive records, choose the ZIP option. The ZIP file is accessed through an email link you will be sent once your archive is ready to download.
- When you receive the email, click the Download Now button and the ZIP file will be saved to your download folder.
Note: You can only download archive data or records if you are the archive owner. Archive owners may download records and data as often as they wish.
Which Data Download Should I Choose?
When you download your archive data, you can choose to save as an XLS (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet) or a CSV (Comma-Separated Values). Which should you choose? That depends on how you want to use your data.When you download your archive data as an XLS file, you can view it in a spreadsheet format.
This is what our family archive data looks like in an XLS file:
Looks like some records in my Art Collection are missing some metadata!
When you download your archive data as a CSV, your data is saved as plain text in a series of values (cells) separated by commas (,) in a series of lines (rows). This format offers flexibility when importing into other spreadsheet formats or databases.
How Can I Use my Data Download?
- View archive data side-by-side in a spreadsheet and see at a glance what fields are missing or incomplete. For example, in the XLS spreadsheet example above, it appears that several records in the Art collection are Record Info, including Descriptions, Keywords, and Place. I can now add that information exactly where it needs to be.
- Import your archive data into another database. If you are a family organization, genealogy society, or historical society, this data can be a very useful addition to your existing database.
- Use your data to create digital or paper publications. When you copy or export transcriptions from your spreadsheet download (with accompanying markup), you can apply styles and formats to create new publications, like a book of primary source transcriptions. In the example below, I pasted some transcription text into a basic HTML template.
Note: Markup (paragraph tags, line breaks, etc.) are retained in data exports. Markup is helpful when you want to retain the original structure of the transcription as well as apply formatting in a new program.
Cool. What’s Next?
We’re working hard to develop tools that will make it easier to grow, discover, and share your Kindex archive. Upcoming features include:
- Advanced archive data search
- Improved record navigation
- Expanded archive import and export options
Have a question or suggestion?
Let’s chat.
by Cathy Gilmore | Nov 3, 2017 | Features, Software
If a family record can’t be discovered, searched, or shared, what value is it? How do we rescue our family records and transform them into a family archive that reaches beyond the walls of our own home and into the hearts of countless others?
Engaging our families through searchable archives is our primary mission at Kindex. Check out our five essential steps that add value to records and bring families one step closer to getting face-to-face with their own history.
1. Gather your records for scanning. Take an inventory of what you have, start with a small project (think shoebox-sized), and get scanning.
2. Add your digitized records to an online database. Google and Dropbox are great, but consider tools like Kindex that offer collaborative and indexing tools. After all, what good are digitized records if no one can access or search them?
3. Add metadata to your records. In Kindex, this can be done on-the-fly when uploading records in batch mode, making it quick and easy to get records searchable.
4. Transcribe your records. While you can do this in a word processing program, adding transcriptions in Kindex is easy and keeps the indexed data attached to the original record.
5. Add tags for names, dates, and places. (Note: our tagging tool is temporarily offline while we make some improvements.)
Are you ready to rescue your history?
Get started on Kindex today to take advantage of unlimited records and collaborative tools that will get your records out of the closet and into the hearts of your family everywhere.
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by Cathy Gilmore | Sep 6, 2017 | Features, Software
Kindex is excited to announce several updates to our archival web software that will make indexing your family records faster and easier.
1. View Record Progress at a Glance
See at a glance your record transcription status with our new “In Progress” label. Start a new transcription (click “Transcribe”), finish incomplete transcriptions (click “In Progress”), or read completed transcriptions (click records with a white checkmark).
2. Transcribe Records Back-to-Back
Get transcriptions done quickly and efficiently with our new “Save & Do Next” option. When you are done transcribing a record, click “Save & Do Next” and Kindex will automatically load the next record in the Collection for transcription.
Alternatively, you can click “Save & Read”, which opens a new page where you can review, edit, or tag your transcription.
3. Transcribe tables, forms, and other tabular text with new table tool
Our new table tool enables you to create tables in the transcription field to transcribe records that require some organization of text, such as official records, ledgers, or records with columns or tabulated text. With the table tool you can add a table, merge, edit rows and columns, add a table header, and customize vertical and horizontal text alignment.
Hint: If you are transcribing text from common record types that have repeated fields (i.e., postcards, marriage records, ledgers), create a table template that designates data fields. Then, copy and paste the table from your existing transcription window into the transcription of each new record so transcribers can input the text in the correct fields.
4. Download archive data as a CSV file
Our CSV archive download is a fantastic tool archive owners can use to access archive data, analyze archive status and needs, and backup archive data.
To download your archive as a CSV:
- Log in to your archive and go to Manage Archive (click the green cog in upper right corner
) and
- Select the Tools tab.
- Click “Download Archive as CSV”)
Open your downloaded CSV file to your archive data. Includes Archive Name, Archive Subdomain, File Name, Collection, Title, Person, Description, Keywords, Provenance, Date, Place, Contributor, Transcription, and Tags.
We hope you find these tools helpful when transcribing your family or historical society records! Is there a feature you would like to see? Contact us and tell us about it.
It’s time to be the record rescuer your family needs. Start or upgrade your family archive on Kindex.org today.
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