Church History Library

The Church History Library is dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The building opened in June 2009 and has since welcomed thousands of people interested in learning more about the history of the faith and its members.

The 230,000-square-foot facility includes a public library, reading room, staff work areas, and storage space for the following historical collections:

• 478,000 printed materials (books, pamphlets, magazines, manuals, posters, maps)
• 575,000 photographs
• 42,000 audio and video recordings
• 112,000 local Church unit record collection
• 161,000 manuscript collection (journal, personal papers)
• 13,500 corporate Church records
• 21,000 oral history collections
• 5.3 million patriarchal blessings for Church members

Some of these items are available in the public library area, while others are located in archival storage rooms and when requested, will be delivered to patrons for use in the reading room. Patrons often use these materials to learn more about their Latter-day Saint ancestors, the history of the West, or the growth and establishment of the Church throughout the world. Historians also use the library when doing research for a book or scholarly publication.

The state-of-the-art building has twelve archival storage rooms that are designed to protect the historical records. Ten of those rooms are kept at 55 degrees Fahrenheit with 35 percent relative humidity. Two rooms are kept at minus four degrees Fahrenheit and 35% relative humidity. These conditions are ideal for storing color motion picture films, photographs, and newspapers.

In addition to the public areas and storage rooms, the new building has space for conservation, collection care work, digitization, and processing newly acquired records. The Church’s conservation efforts involve 300 to 500 books and documents and 3,000 to 4,000 audiovisual recordings every year. We have a dedicated digitization studio with industry-leading cameras and equipment that enable us to create high-quality digital copies of historical records. Each year, we create approximately 5 million digital files by digitizing a wide range of historical collections. Each year, staff acquire and catalog approximately 6,000 new archival collections and print items. The building also has office space for employees and volunteers who are responsible for administrative functions, historic sites, research and outreach, and publications such as Saints, The Joseph Smith Papers, and Web content.

The Church History Library has achieved a silver certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). To earn this “green” designation, buildings must use less heat and electricity, have greater access to outside views by having windows close to where people work, be in close proximity to public transportation, and use products that are locally produced, that are recycled, or that give off fewer gasses that may affect people’s health.

Related Content

• Church History Catalog
• Other Research Resources