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The state of Kentucky has announced it is partnering with FamilySearch to digitize and preserve tens of thousands of primary records, such as birth, death and marriage certificates that are currently on microfilm reels.

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) and volunteers from the Kentucky Genealogical Society (KYGS) are now reaching out to the state’s county clerks, the official custodians of these records, to notify them of the opportunity to have their records digitized free of charge by FamilySearch.

The clerks can take advantage of this opportunity simply by advising KDLA that their records may be digitized using a records release form. In return, the clerks and KDLA will receive copies of the digitized records, and FamilySearch will post a copy on their free online database.

“Local records are some of the most irreplaceable resources for the discovery of documentation of the commonwealth’s populace,” said Rusty Heckaman, state archivist for KDLA. “Records like those of marriage, probate and land ownership have been created from each county’s origins, resulting in some of the most continuous sources of the state’s history.” said Rusty Heckaman, state archivist for KDLA.

He noted, the records are invaluable to genealogists and researchers alike, for the picture they can help paint of our ancestors’ lives. “The participation of FamilySearch in the digitization of these records presents a huge opportunity to make these records more accessible to the public. Their increased use can only further promote the value these records hold and increase awareness of the wealth of resources in repositories like KDLA and in the courthouses throughout our state.”

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, located at 300 Coffee Tree Road in Frankfort, is an agency of the Education and Labor Cabinet. KDLA provides many services in support of libraries, archives, records management, state employees, and the blind and print disabled through the Kentucky Talking Book Library. For more information on their services, go to kdla.ky.gov.