Seek and ye shall find — Family History revisited
A novice's step-by-step guide to using the Church History Library
By Lisa Christensen
Church News staff writer
Published: Saturday, July 18, 2009
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My family has always been enthusiastic about family history, which means
that amidst stacks of research and completed temple work there is very
little left to do. Still, some mysteries remain. A self-proclaimed family
history novice, I wondered how my great-great-great-grandparents from the
Isle of Jersey joined the Church when they reportedly knew no other
language besides their native French. Other factors of their life beyond
birth and death dates were still a mystery, too. I set off for the newly
dedicated Church History Library at 15 E. North Temple in Salt Lake City to
find the answers.
It should be noted that the Church History Library is for people like
me, looking to add figurative flesh to the bones of their ancestors. For
research about dates or names, there is the Family History Library on 35 N.
West Temple. When visiting the Church History Library, try to bring as much
information as possible. Names alone might not be enough to find the
correct ancestor. When searching, try entering in names, dates, places of
birth or death, etc. Be creative and don't give up.
If you have specific questions regarding an ancestor, consultation rooms
can be reserved for a half-hour with a library specialist. These rooms come
equipped with a computer, television, VCR, DVD player and BlueRay for
various media.
The Church History Library is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday
from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. and Saturday
from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The library can be reached at (801)240-2745 for
recorded information and general staff, and (801)240-3579 for gift and
donation information. It can also be contacted at its Web site, www.lds.org/churchhistory.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
1. Lisa Christensen of Church News enters the LDS Church History Library in downtown Salt Lake City Monday, July 13, 2009. Dedicated June 20, 2009, the library not only preserves history for future generations but also makes it more accessible to the present one.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
2. Entering the Church History Library. Inside are area histories, biographies, old missionary journals, letters, photographs and other material designed to provide details of daily life among early and present members of the Church in diverse areas. Let's hope it can help me find what I'm looking for.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
3. Information Specialist Librarian Ronald W. Read gives me an Application for Research Privileges form. It basically says I won't harm or destroy books, violate any copyright laws or disturb the other patrons, and will follow other rules of the library. First-time patrons have to sign one of these before receiving closed-stack material.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
4. After entering my great-great-great-grandfather's name into the search engine and sorting it by other information I had on him (such as date and place of birth, etc.), I found a couple of promising references. One was in the closed stacks, which means filling out a request form. Plan on a half hour for your material to be brought down.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
5. One of the books was in the open stacks, so I could look for it myself. There are reading tables in the middle of the floor for ease of research. Although no special precautions are required for research in the open stacks, patrons should still take care to not harm the materials.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
6. The open stacks contain archives of Church publications, biographies of prominent leaders and basic library materials. There are also rolls of microfilm and macrofilm that can be obtained without filling out a formal request.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
7. I finally found my book. Books are, obviously, not arranged by the conventional Dewey Decimal System but by periodicals and other Church publications, regular library materials and general Church biographies and histories. I didn't find all the information I was looking for in this book, so I'm off to the closed stacks.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
8. No bags or backpacks are allowed in the closed stacks, so I stash mine in one of the lockers provided by the library for such a purpose. Patrons choose their own four-digit pass code to lock and open their locker. Just don't forget to pull out your driver's license or other photo ID; one is necessary to enter the reading room.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
9. My manuscript is on microfilm so I use one of the new digital scanner machines. On this I can either print pages out, have a staff member print them out for me, both for a cost, or save it onto a flash drive for free. Flash drives can either be brought by the patron or bought at the library.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
10. The microfilm turned out to have exactly the information I was looking for. My great-great-great-grandparents were able to learn about the Church in part because my great-great-great-grandmother learned English in secret. This is information people don't usually look for when doing research strictly for temple work.
Mike Terry, Deseret News
11. Copy cards are required to make copies either from the machines or by the staff. They are currently available from a vending machine for $2 or $5. Be sure to bring cash, although a credit card reader should be available in the near future, as well as different dollar increments on the cards.
