International Genealogical Index back online

FamilySearch.org announced today that the International Genealogical Index (IGI) is now completely back online. Here is the statement from the FamilySearch Blog:

We mentioned in an earlier FamilySearch blog post that work has now been completed for the International Genealogical Index (IGI). This final addition to the IGI consists of records submitted by the community. The IGI and all the records from the FamilySearch record collection can be searched from the main page of FamilySearch.org. The IGI can also be searched by going to the Historical Record Collections page and typing IGI in the search box.

The IGI is listed as having 669,118,251 records with the following instructions:

For a short period of time duplication in the IGI was reduced by removing records from the indexed data when these records were submitted by the community. To do an exhaustive search for your ancestor you should choose to search the Community Contributed IGI and follow the process outlined on this page to determine if the record you find was part of an indexed collection.

Some of the duplication present in the New.FamilySearch.org program came from incorporating the records from the IGI where there was already considerable duplication.  For example, a search on my Great-grandfather's name, Henry Martin Tanner, in the IGI yields over 700 results, most of which are duplicate entries of him or relatives with the same or similar name. Because this new addition is a set of user contributed records with little or no documentation, any information obtained should be verified through other records. Be sure to carefully consider the disclaimer that comes on each record searched:

The International Genealogical Index (IGI) is a computer file created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was first published in 1973 and continued to grow through December 2008. It contains several hundred million entries, each recording one event, such as a birth, baptism (christening), marriage, or death. The information has not been verified against any official records, Duplicate entries and inconsistent information are common. Always verify contributed entries against sources of primary information.