SALT LAKE CITY-Tuesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed billions of historical family history records are available to the public with the completion of a microfilm digitization initiative.

The Salt Lake City-based faith has been releasing millions of records online for years as they were digitized.

This process has now been completed and records of 11.5 billion people worldwide have been released.

The Genealogical Society of Utah, now FamilySearch International, commenced microfilming in 1938.

Digitization commenced in 1999 with the Church’s purchase of its first microfilm scammers.

This effort has been directed by the Church Historian and Recorder and executed by preservation professionals in The Church History Department.