CD-ROMs are an exciting first step back to the original source material. However, they are only a finding aid for further research to the original sources from which they were prepared. The careful researcher does not rely on information from a CD-ROM index alone as evidence for their family history, but delves further into the actual records.

One great aspect of the CD-ROM revolution is the reproduction of source materials and scanned images of original records. The unique advantage of CD-ROMs with scanned images is that they provide the image of the original record itself—much in the same way that a photocopy or microfilm copy of the record does.

However, as with every modern marvel, there is always a catch or two and, in the case of CD-ROMs for genealogy, the catch is in the price.

An Expense to Genealogists
The proliferation of genealogical CD-ROMs have increased in just the past few years. But these rapid strides in availability and diversity of titles have not come without an obvious cost. CD-ROMs for genealogy are expensive for most individuals. List prices for CD-ROMs of published genealogy indexes are usually in the thirty to forty dollar range. To put this in terms all genealogists can relate to, the cost of a single "standard" CD-ROM for genealogy equates to 11 microfilms on short term loan, 250 pieces of microfiche at your local Family History Center, a year’s membership in the National Genealogical Society or a two year subscription to Ancestry magazine. Life is so full of trade-offs!

Genealogy CD-ROMs that contain popular or unique databases can easily be twice the amount of a "standard" title. Internationally-known genealogical resources which previously were only available in print or microform are increasingly becoming available on CD-ROM as well, but are also highly priced. The National Genealogical Society’s Quarterly Volumes 1 to 85 on CD-ROM lists for $50 http://www.familytreemaker.com/210facd.html. An index for Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland can be had for $60 on CD-ROM http://www.genealogical.com/griffith.htm. The valuable PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) from the Allen County Library and available on CD-ROM from Ancestry.com sells for $90 http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog/product.asp?pf%5Fid=1105411&dept%5Fid=20203000. Complete census indexes on CD-ROM for single U.S. states are usually over $100.

Why do CD-ROMs cost so much?
The cost to produce a CD-ROM with a genealogical database can be divided into development and reproduction costs. Development costs vary considerably based on copyright licensing fees required for the genealogical content of the CD-ROM, the labor involved in developing the CD-ROM and any software licensing fees required to access the data on the CD-ROM. Reproduction costs average around $1 per disc for 1,000 or more copies. These costs decline with larger volumes of duplication, but final packaging and additional printed materials add to the cost. The underlying cost of producing the CD-ROMs, plus a margin of profit for the producer and vendor, result in the high prices of these research tools.

CD-ROMS to fit the Budget
There is, however, a lower-cost selection of CD-ROM genealogy titles available. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and their Family History Library were early pioneers in harnessing the power of the personal computer for genealogy. By providing the International Genealogical Index® (IGI), the Ancestral File™, and the Family History Library Catalog™ on CD-ROM for use at their worldwide network of family history centers, the LDS Church took an early lead in the use of CD-ROMs for the storage and retrieval of genealogical information.

As the commercial market for genealogy CD-ROMs has developed over the last few years, the Family History Department has appeared to be falling behind in the provisioning of CD-ROMs to the public. New CD-ROM titles were made available at the Family History Centers™ but, with the exception of a few limited-distribution trials, individual researchers could not purchase genealogy CD-ROMs from the Family History Department. However, extensive work has now been done to bring CD-ROMs to the public at a reasonable price.

In April of last year, the Family History Center released three new titles on CD-ROM. They are extremely useful indexes of millions of genealogical records as well as very easy on the pocket book. The first three CD-ROMs are the initial installment of an ongoing series of inexpensive CD-ROMs being planned by the Family History Department. The original three are:

• 1851 British Census on 1 CD-ROM
Available at the give-away price of $5, this is an index to the 1851 Census for the English counties of Devon, Norfolk, and Warwickshire containing approximately 1.5 million individual records including names, residences, occupations, ages, birthplaces, and more.

• Australian Vital Records Index (1788-1905) on 4 CD-ROM discs
Priced at $20 for the 4-disc set, this title indexes nearly 4.5 million births, baptisms, marriages and deaths from New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.

• Family History SourceGuide™ on 1 CD-ROM
Available for $10, this is not a genealogical database but rather a family history research guide. It contains over 150 research outlines from the Family History Library, historical maps, genealogy word lists in non-English languages, plus blank forms and worksheets.

In September of 1998, two additional titles became available through the Family History Center in this series of value-priced CD-ROMs.

• British Vital Records Index (1538-1888) on 5 CD-ROM discs
At $15 for the entire 5-disc set, this title provides an index to nearly five million records of births, baptisms, and marriages with the majority of the records being births and baptisms. These records were extracted from parish registers, civil registration, and other sources from the United Kingdom.

• North American Vital Records Index (1620-1888) on 7 CD-ROM discs
For $19, this 7-disc set is an index to approximately five million marriages, births, and baptisms with the majority of the records being marriages. Various sources from the U.S. and Canada were used to compile this index.

Note that the titles published in this series are not exclusively related to records of the United States as most genealogy CD-ROMs have been in the past. Records from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom have been indexed in the series also, and the Family History SourceGuide™ provides excellent information on non-U.S. research.

All of the above titles are extremely easy to use. Their search features are intuitive and straightforward. The information includes the necessary citations to quickly direct the researcher back to the original source. These inexpensive CD-ROMs are ideal finding aids.

The Future
Expected in early 1999 are more additions to this series of inexpensive research tools from the LDS Family History Center. The first discs of the 1880 U.S. census and the 1881 British census sets should be available early in the year. When completed, these two combined titles will index over 80 million individuals from the two separate censuses. These and additional inexpensive CD-ROM titles from the Family History Center will be gratefully received by the global genealogy community.

Mark Howells is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. He volunteers on the Internet as the host of the Norfolk-L genealogy mailing list. He writes extensively on genealogical research.