Church History Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church History Library |
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| LDS Church History Library | |
| Country | United States |
| Type | Religious library |
| Scope | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| Established | 2009 |
| Location | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Coordinates | 40°46′20″N 111°53′25″W / 40.7721°N 111.8904°W |
The Church History Library (often called CHL) is a special place. It's a research center and archives building. It holds many materials about the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church owns this library. It opened in 2009 in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. People can visit it to learn more about the Church's past.
Contents
History of the Church History Library
Planning a New Home for Church History
Back in 1960, there were plans for a big new building. It was meant to be 11 stories tall. This building would hold the offices and libraries for the Church Historian and the Genealogical Society.
However, new ways to save old documents came along. Also, the Granite Mountain Records Vault was finished in 1963. This vault offered huge storage for family history records. Because of these changes, such a large building was no longer needed.
After the Church Office Building was finished in 1972, the Church's history department moved there. It used four floors in the east part of the building.
Building the Modern Library
In April 2005, new plans were shared. They announced a new Church History Library. It was set to be ready by late 2007. The chosen spot was a parking lot near Temple Square. This was the same place picked in the 1960 plan.
The new building would house the Church History Department. This department keeps the Church's historical records. The building was officially opened on June 20, 2009. It opened to the public two days later, on June 22, 2009.
The new library offered many improvements. It had longer hours and better technology. There were more staff to help visitors. It also started new learning programs.
Exploring the Church History Collections
The Church History Library keeps many materials. These items tell the story of the Church. They cover history from the 1820s in upstate New York to today. The Church now has over 16 million members worldwide.
The historical items here are very rich. They share information about both Mormon history and the growth of the western United States. These collections include many different types of items:
- 270,000 books, pamphlets, and magazines
- 500,000 old photographs, posters, and maps
- 23,000 audio and video recordings
- 120,000 local histories for Church groups
- 150,000 journals, diaries, and handwritten papers
- 20,000 rolls of microfilm
- 3.5 million patriarchal blessings for Church members
Modern Facilities and Preservation
Protecting Historical Treasures
The new building is very large, about 230,000-square-foot (21,000 m2). It has special controls for temperature, humidity, and air quality. This helps protect the Church's historical collections.
The materials are kept in two kinds of storage rooms. The 10 main storage rooms are kept cool at 55 °F (13 °C). They also have 35 percent humidity. There are two special rooms that are even colder. They are kept at minus four degrees Fahrenheit. These rooms are for color movies, photos, and very important records.
Conservation and Development
The building has areas for conservation work. This is where old books and documents are repaired and preserved. The Church's team works on 300 to 500 books and documents each year. They also care for 3,000 to 4,000 audio and video recordings.
Staff members also work on collection development. They find and organize 500 to 700 new collections every year. This includes about 6,000 new publications. Other staff in the building work on publications, historic sites, and online content.
Environmentally Friendly Design
In 2005, the Church History Library aimed for a special certification. It applied for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. This is a national standard for buildings that are good for the environment. In 2009, the CHL received its LEED certification. This means it was built and operates in an environmentally friendly way.
Public Access and Online Resources
Visiting the Library
All research areas opened to the public on June 22, 2009. Visitors can come to the library to do their research.
Online Resources for Everyone
Some resources are also available online. One important online tool is the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel database. This database lists almost all the Church pioneers and groups. These pioneers traveled to Utah between 1847 and 1868.
In September 2010, the CHL started putting some of its digital collections online. They partnered with the Internet Archive for this. The library is working to digitize many of its older collections. These are items from before 1923, which are now in the Public domain. Making them digital allows people all over the world to access them. You can find them on the Internet Archive and through Brigham Young University's digital collections.
