I have switched to using the new FamilySearch site and I mostly like it. I had to switch because some of the record collections I use were moved to the new site and removed from the old site. That certainly gave me incentive to make the move. From Ancestry Insider I learned a new version of the site was released in July, adding some new features as well as additional databases.
One new feature is the addition of a filter panel for the list of Historical Record Collections. I rarely use the global search function because I get too many hits. I usually choose to Browse the collections to find record sets of interest and then search within that database. The filter function works at all levels, even with the list of collections. Now to quickly get to the set of Ohio records I am interested in, I just have to type “oh” to get the list reduced to just the Ohio collections plus one from Bohemia.
In addition, I learned from chatter on the Pfalz-L list that the IGI batch number search is also affected by the new version. Some, but not all, of the batch numbers are now available on the new site, with the new filter panel features. In my Resources page on my web site, I provide links to batch number searches for villages in Germany, Ohio, and Missouri where I have ancestors. These used the old web site, producing results in the old format. I have now converted the German links to use the new web site and new results format, but I found that the Ohio and Missouri batch numbers are not yet available on the new site (as of 6 Aug). Here is an example for an Abstatt, Germany batch number.
