The FamilySearch Library (FSL), formerly the Family History Library, is a

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

research facility in

downtown Salt Lake City Downtown (also called City Center) is the oldest district in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The grid plan, grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple. Location Downtown S ...

. The library is open to the public free of charge and is operated by

FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is part of the Church's Family History Department (FHD). The Fami ...

, the genealogical arm of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church).

History

The origins of the FSL can be traced to the founding of the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) in 1894. Through time the FSL has changed locations within Salt Lake City as follows: * The GSU's first library was located in the office of the

Church Historian Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of th ...

, 58 E. South Temple Street * Church Administration Building, 47 E. South Temple Street (1917–1933) * 80 N. Main Street (1934–1962) * 100 S. Main Street (1962–1971) * Church Office Building, 50 E. North Temple Street (1972–1985) * 35 N. West Temple Street (1985–Present) The current building, just west of

Temple Square Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediate ...

was opened on October 23, 1985, and cost $8.2 million. In 1938, the GSU began to

microfilm A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...

records which contained genealogical data from around the world, and today this microfilm makes up much of the library's collection. Today the GSU is more commonly known as FamilySearch, and in September 2021, completed digitizing many of its microfilm collections to be shared online. In 2017, the FHL opened a new center for interactive discovery experiences. On January 10, 2023, the LDS Church announced a name change for the library. The former Family History Library would be known as the FamilySearch Library and family history centers would be known as FamilySearch Centers (FSC).

1999 shooting

On April 15, 1999, 70-year-old Sergei Babarin entered the library's lobby and began shooting. A security officer and one female patron were killed while several others were injured. One hour and 45 minutes after the shooting began, Salt Lake police shot and fatally wounded Babarin in an exchange of gunfire. Babarin's family indicated he had a history of schizophrenia, a claim not corroborated by the Valley Community Mental Health Clinic. This occurred only four months after a separate shooting incident a block away at the Triad Center.

Purpose

FamilySearch's main purpose is to connect generations of family—past, present, and future—all over the world. The LDS Church believes that families, sealed together through saving ordinances in its

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, are eternal. Family members who die without the opportunity to perform these ordinances for themselves are able to receive them via proxy, which motivates the church's emphasis on family history work.

Services

The FSL is located in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

. It is the largest genealogical library in the world. The library holds genealogical records for over 100 countries, territories, and possessions. Its collections include over 1.3 million rolls of microfilmed records onsite and access the total collection of more than 2.4 million rolls of

ed genealogical records; 190,000

microfiche A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...

; 340,000 books, serials, and other formats; 125,000

periodicals Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...

; 3,725 electronic resources including subscriptions to the major genealogical websites. The FSL offers research assistance to help patrons trace their own family history. Professional genealogists and volunteers offer assistance in about 30 languages, which includes reading and translating genealogically relevant documents. The FSL also offers free one-on-one consultations on difficult research problems. Additionally, there are classes on genealogical research topics free to the public and classes available online.

In-Person services

* Photo, film, 35mm slide and book scanners to digitize family records. * Recording booths to preserve your family stories and memories. * Activities, classes and workshops for people of all ages and skill levels. * Open access to thousands of record collections, publications and microfilms. * Children's area, which allows parents to do computer research and watch their children at the same time.

Online services

* Online access to FamilySearch.org and other subscription genealogical websites. * Free online family history classes and webinars. * Free online genealogy consultations with FamilySearch Library experts.

Branches

Branches of the FSL are FamilySearch Centers. While there are over 6,300 FSCs operating in more than 149 countries there are only about 17 major regional branch library class facilities. The others are usually located in ward, branch, and stake facilities of the LDS Church with at least one or more genealogical computers.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Religious buildings and structures completed in 1985 Library buildings completed in 1985 Buildings and structures in Salt Lake City Genealogy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Libraries in Utah Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Genealogical libraries in the United States The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah Latter Day Saint church buildings 1985 establishments in Utah de:Genealogische Gesellschaft von Utah es:Centro de Historia Familiar