GENUKI inititiates major overhaul of 20-year-old site

The vast and free website GENUKI, which describes itself as a virtual reference library of information on UK & Ireland genealogy, is undergoing a major site-wide update. It's the first major overhaul in the 20 years the service has been running, and coincides with the availability of much improved and much less technically challenging Content Management Systems for maintaining websites.

By removing much of the need for computer expertise, the switch to the Drupal platform will not only ease the task of current GENUKI maintainers, it will also make it easier to recruit more volunteers to maintain the pages.

While the team is attempting to retain much of the previous 'look and feel' of the system, at least initially, there will be some minor changes as part of the process. As the transition progresses, additional ways of viewing GENUKI's data will become available.

Unsurprisingly given its size (142,000 files/6047 Mbytes at the last count), the GENUKI site will be converted in stages, starting at the top. Many of the County pages, for example, are currently being worked on in the background but it may be some months before those pages are converted and made live.

One update that can already be seen is a login facility on the home page. Don't be concerned. This is just for the maintenance team. Access to GENUKI is and will remain as open and free as ever.

It is a non-commercial service, maintained by a charitable trust and a group of volunteers in co-operation with the Federation of Family History Societies.

(With thanks to JC.)