This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Sydney Walker, Church News
The Idaho Falls FamilySearch Center has been renovated and is reopening to the public this month, FamilySearch announced on Tuesday, June 21.
Located in a renovated Latter-day Saint meetinghouse around the corner from the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, the center features interactive discovery experiences, specialized preservation equipment and access to billions of records.
Thaddeus and Janice Zabriski, volunteer directors of the center, are eager to welcome the community to the renovated facility. They and other volunteers are there to help people find and connect with their family and preserve family memories.
“Visit us to experience the joy of getting to know your ancestors and family history. We can help you find them and their stories,” the Zabriskies said in a news release. “It will touch your heart. In doing so, you might even learn new things about yourself.”
Open House
A public open house begins Thursday, June 23, at 10 a.m. and runs through Saturday, June 25. The center will officially reopen to the public on Monday, June 27.
The center’s hours of operation will be:
- Monday, Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Tuesday–Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Facility
The Idaho Falls FamilySearch Center is located at 750 West Elva St. The renovated facility includes:
- 81 computers
- 2 classrooms
- Recording room
- Children’s area
- 4 workstations with equipment to transfer VHS, 8mm, CD, mini DVD and audio files
- 4 workstations with photo and slide scanners
- Equipment for photo and film editing
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The Idaho Falls FamilySearch Center is home to 81 patron computers. The center is open to the public. Photo courtesy of FamilySearch.All rights reserved.
The center offers free weekly classes targeted to the needs of patrons (see class schedule here).
Interactive discovery experiences include:
- All About Me
- Where I Come From
- My Famous Relatives
- Picture My Heritage
- Compare a Face (Who’s My Doppelganger?)
The facility includes murals and historical photos of the local area. The large mural of the ten virgins by artist Robert L. Shepherd was relocated to the new facility. The ceiling had to be raised during renovation to accommodate the mural’s size, according to the release.
The Idaho Falls FamilySearch Center is one of more than 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries worldwide.
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A large floor-to-ceiling historical mural is shown inside the renovated Idaho Falls FamilySearch Center. Photo courtesy of FamilySearch.All rights reserved.Copyright 2022 Deseret News Publishing Company.