The FamilySearch Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

= The FamilySearch Center in Salt Lake City, Utah =

Many people know about the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's across the street from the LDS Temple and the Tabernacle where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs. It's the largest family history library in the world with a collection of over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed records. However, the library can be a little overwhelming if you're just starting or if you're just curious about family history.

Only one block away on the east side of Temple Square, there's another great place where you can get one-on-one help with family history—the FamilySearch Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's located in the lower level of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (formerly the Hotel Utah).

Family History Activities for Everyone in the Family
Free to the public, the FamilySearch Center has a relaxed atmosphere and has something for everyone in the family.


 * If you'd like, volunteers and staff can help you get started with family history and help you find ancestors in online records. The online census records and military records are especially popular, and volunteers love showing you how to use them.
 * There are hands-on exhibits where young children and their parents can learn together about records that are important for family history.
 * There are activities for teenagers, such as scavenger hunts.
 * The center is handicap accessible.
 * You can read stories about people on the Titanic, learn about records throughout history, and watch video segments depicting the personal journeys and dramatic discoveries of a handful of individuals pursuing their family history. Other available videos give a virtual tour of the Granite Mountain Vault where microfilms are preserved underground, explain projects to digitize and index records so the records can be made available online, and give an orientation to the Family History Library.
 * You can have photos taken in front of a backdrop of the wharf at Ellis Island with the Statue of Liberty in the harbor. A volunteer will be happy to take the photos and e-mail them to you.

What to Bring
If you want to find information about your ancestors, it's helpful if you know the name of a family member who was living in 1930 and where he or she was living.

Other Features at the FamilySearch Center
The FamilySearch Center also has two large classrooms with Internet access. The classrooms can be reserved by groups. Family organizations and genealogical societies like to use the center for their members, especially when the Family History Library is closed on Monday nights.

The center is also a great stop for bus tours.

And the FamilySearch Center gives free discount coupons to four of the restaurants in the area. Three of the restaurants are right there in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Another is just half a block away in the Lion House—their dinner rolls are famous among locals.

Hours and Contact Information
The FamilySearch Center in Salt Lake City is open:


 * Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
 * Saturday: 9:00 am to 5:00pm

For a schedule that includes the holiday closings, see:

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhl/frameset_library.asp?PAGE=library_JSMB.asp

Address:

FamilySearch Center

Joseph Smith Memorial Building

15 East South Temple Street

Salt Lake City, UT 84150

Phone: 801-240-4085

Group or classroom reservations: 801-240-4673