Family History Library of the Genealogical Society of Utah

General Information

A gigantic collection created by the LDS church (Mormons) to document individual families

Address: 35 North West Temple Street, Room 344, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84150-3440
Phone Number: 801-240-2584 or 866-406-1830
Fax Number: 801-240-1794
Email Address:
Online: familysearch.org
Database Search: familysearch.org
Entry Fee: None. Open to all
Opening Times: Monday 8-5, Tues.-Sat. 8am -9pm
Closed: major holidays, Pioneer day in July
Information Last Confirmed: November, 2007

Directions

Located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, across from temple square

Transportation

buses: Utah Transportation Authority rideuta.com. Metered street parking and several pay lots ($3-$15 / day)

Usage

Open to all--some collections restricted, though most East Asian collections seem to be open

Facilities

Card Catalogs: Card catalogs in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, but online catalogs may now be more complete. The Chinese section of the online catalog is very friendly, and can be searched prior to a trip to the library. Missionaries versed in particular languages will be summoned immediately from some off-stage holding pen to help you search.
Computers: 40ish internet-connected stations for looking up materials, nearly half as many volunteers ready to help with their use
Reading Room: International collections on level B1
Photocopy Machines: 8ish microfilm to printer machines, a photocopier, one microfilm to digital workstation
Printing Prices: 23 cents / page black and white
Bathrooms: many mormon bathrooms
Vending Machines:
Nearby Food: In downtown Salt Lake city--many nearby restaurants

Collections of Note

Go West Qing historians! Qing dynasty collections are extensive but not well cataloged--no dates on the legal collections so you have to call a huge number of rolls of microfilm from the vault just to find a single year. Library is focused on genealogical research, so the strength of the collection is in documentation of families. For description of Qing Chinese collections see _Late Imperial China_ articles from 12/1988, 12/1998

Other Notes, Comments and Experiences

International collections on microfilm seem to be held mostly in the "Granite Mountain Records Vault" in Little Cottonwood Canyon, a armageddon-ready facility 25 miles from the library. It takes a day or two to fetch these films.

Genealogical Society Of Utah