Using Arkiv Digital for Swedish Genealogical Research

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Introduction to Arkiv Digital
Arkiv Digital (AD) is a private company created by a group of genealogical researchers in Sweden. Their objective was to use digital cameras to produce high quality images of Swedish record collections and provide access to those images through the internet. To access the images on their website, you need a subscription. However you can use Arkiv Digital for free at the Family History Library or one of the FamilySearch Centers (stated in Jan. 2013).

Contact Arkiv Digital at http://www.arkivdigital.net/ if you want to learn more or to subscribe to their service.

Using Arkiv Digital at the Family History Library or FamilySearch Centers
To access Arkiv Digital at the Family History Library or at a FamilySearch Center:

1. On the patron desktop, click “Subscription Websites.”

2. Then, click “Arkiv Digital.” If the program opens in Swedish, you can change it to English by clicking the word “Visa” on the tool bar. Then, click “Språk/Language” and choose “English.”

3. In the search box below the heading “Search Archives,” begin typing the name of the parish you want to search. As you begin typing, AD starts searching for the place. By just typing a few letters, the name of the parish may appear in the search results box on the lower left. Tip: You must use the correct Swedish spelling, including the Swedish letters Å, Ä, and Ö. To learn how to type these letters, see the article Sweden Typing the letters Å, Ä, and Ö.

4. When the name of your parish appears in the results box, click the parish name. Tip: If there is more than one parish by the same name, you will need to determine which one you want according to the county letter (to the right of the parish name.) To find out what county the letter stands for, hover the mouse curser over the letter and wait for the info box to appear. To learn more about the county letters see the article Swedish County Letters. A list of the county letters has also been provided at the bottom of this page.

5. After selecting your parish, you will see the records available through AD on the right side of the screen. On the list of available records, notice that each record volume has the name of the parish followed by a code. This code, consisting of an alphabet letter(s), colon, and number, is based upon the Swedish Church Archive Cataloging Plan. To learn more about the cataloging plan and to see a complete list of codes see the article Sweden: Citing Sources. Double-click the record and the time period you want to search.

6. Browse the records. This can be done by 1 or 5 pages at a time by clicking the arrows on the tool bar marked -1 page, -5 pages, or +1 page, +5 pages. Tip: By clicking the drop-down arrow in the box in-between you can navigate by as many pages as you would like or even select a specific page if you know a number.

7. Notice the buttons on the tool bar that will allow you to zoom in or out and rotate the image. As the image is enlarged it becomes clearer and easier to read. Tip: You may also zoom in and out by using the wheel on your mouse. Also, by clicking the left side of the mouse, and hold it down while moving the mouse, you can move the image around on your screen.

8. Notice the button on the tool bar, “Img tools.” This button will allow you to change the brightness, have a better contrast, sharpen the image, and add a yellow contrast to the image, if desired.

9. To print an image, it is best to use the Print icon rather than the File/Print option. The Print icon will print the source of the image in detail automatically on the page.

10. To save an image, click File, then click Save image and choose the location where you want to save the image. The source citation will be recorded as the file name by default. You may add to this file name or change the file name. Tip: What you see on the screen at the time will be what prints and what will save to your file.

11. On the bottom-right corner is an identification number for the image. An image number may be typed in this box to quickly retrieve the image.

The County Letters are:

A – The city of Stockholm (up to 1968) AB – Stockholm County (from about 1969) AC – Västerbotten B – Stockholm County (except the city before 1968) BD - Norrbotten C – Uppsala D – Södermanland E – Östergötland F – Jönköping G – Kronoberg H – Kalmar I – Gotland K – Blekinge L – Kristianstad (now part of Skåne County) M – Malmöhus (now part of Skåne County) N – Halland O – Göteborg och Bohus (now part of Västra Götaland County) P – Älvsborg (now part of Västra Götaland County) R – Skaraborg (now part of Västra Götaland County) S – Värmland T – Örebro U – Västmanland W – Kopparberg (now part of Dalarna County) X – Gävleborg Y – Västernorrland Z - Jämtland