After several years of progressing at a sedate pace - during which data providers focused more on expanding record collections than improving usability - the online genealogy industry is waking up. Who's doing the prodding? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), with initiatives that promise researchers convenient, low- or no-cost access to ancestral information.

A tornado of press releases, many issued during May's National Genealogical Society Conference in Richmond, Va., announced these developments. We'll calm that news whirlwind with an in-depth look at the online initiatives and how they'll affect your research.