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| LDS Church History Library | |
|---|---|
| Name | LDS Church History Library |
| Established | 1982 |
| Location | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Affiliation | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| Type | Archives and library |
| Collection size | Millions of photographs, manuscripts, books, periodicals, artifacts |
LDS Church History Library
The LDS Church History Library serves as the principal repository for the historical records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It houses official archives, rare manuscripts, and extensive photograph collections that document the development of the Church, its leaders, and affiliated institutions across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands.
The library was created as part of a broader effort begun under the direction of Spencer W. Kimball, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Thomas S. Monson to centralize records from diverse Church offices, missions, and auxiliaries. Its antecedents include earlier archival efforts associated with Brigham Young University, the Historical Department (LDS Church), and the Joseph Smith Papers Project. Significant milestones involved collaborations with the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, exchanges with the Utah State Historical Society, and joint ventures with the American Historical Association and the Smithsonian Institution. Administrators such as Leonard J. Arrington and archivists influenced policies paralleling standards from the Society of American Archivists and practices modeled by the National Archives and Records Administration. The library’s development paralleled institutional events including the publication of the History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints volumes, the historiographical shifts following the Mountain Meadows Massacre scholarship, and the emergence of the New Mormon History movement.
Holdings include personal papers of early leaders like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Heber J. Grant; mission records from British Mission (LDS Church), French Mission (LDS Church), and Mexican Mission offices; journals of pioneers associated with the Mormon Trail and the Utah War; and correspondence tied to Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, and Eliza R. Snow. The photographic archive contains images by Charles Roscoe Savage, George Edward Anderson, and Sterling Bunnell, plus prints documenting events such as the Salt Lake Temple dedication and the construction of Temple Square. Manuscript collections feature sermons, diaries, and minutes from Relief Society, Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA), and Sunday School organizations; printed materials include periodicals like the Deseret News, Millennial Star, and Liahona. The library preserves audiovisual holdings tied to BYU Broadcasting, records from Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and artifacts associated with the Pioneer Day celebrations. Special collections include maps of western migration related to the Oregon Trail and records from the Home Teaching and Family History Department.
The facility is located near Temple Square and adjacent to the Church Administration Building. Designed to accommodate climate-controlled stacks, the building references architectural precedents found at institutions such as the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library. Construction and renovation projects involved firms and consultants acquainted with archival design standards from the American Institute of Architects and preservation criteria promoted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The reading rooms and vaults incorporate security measures comparable to those used by the National Archives and Records Administration and utilize shelving systems and environmental controls aligned with recommendations from the International Council on Archives.
The library provides research services to scholars associated with universities including Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Oxford. It supports genealogical research linked to FamilySearch and collaborates with the Genealogical Society of Utah. Public programming includes exhibitions and lectures featuring curators, historians, and authors such as Richard Bushman, D. Michael Quinn, Jan Shipps, Matthew Bowman, and Terryl Givens. Educational outreach partners have included the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Natural History Museum of Utah, and local historical societies like the Salt Lake County Historical Society. Services extend to interlibrary loan systems, reference consultations, and access policies modeled after the Society of American Archivists code and the American Library Association guidelines.
Digitization projects have partnered with the Joseph Smith Papers Project, the Church History Department (LDS Church), and external academic teams from Yale University and Brigham Young University. Efforts include scanning manuscripts, digitizing recordings archived by the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, and creating online catalogs interoperable with systems used by the Digital Public Library of America and the National Digital Newspaper Program. Preservation work follows standards from the National Information Standards Organization and the Library of Congress preservation directives. Initiatives have addressed the conservation of photographic negatives, sheet music associated with Isaac Morley-era hymnody, and fragile artifacts linked to the Kirtland Temple and the Nauvoo Temple. Collaborative grant funding has come through partnerships with foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and cultural heritage programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Exhibitions have showcased materials related to Joseph Smith revelations, documents from the Council of Fifty, and artifacts tied to Emma Smith and Hyrum Smith. Research facilitated by the library has informed publications by historians including Richard L. Bushman on Joseph Smith biography, critical studies by Janiece Johnson and archival findings used in investigations of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Traveling exhibitions have partnered with the Smithsonian Institution and the Autry Museum of the American West to present themes about Mormon pioneers, westward migration, and religious pluralism in nineteenth-century America. Scholars have used collections to examine topics involving plural marriage, missionary expansion into Latin America, and twentieth-century outreach programs led by presidents such as Gordon B. Hinckley and Ezra Taft Benson.