Family History Library
Entrance to the Library
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| Country | United States |
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| Type | Genealogy Library |
| Established | 1894 |
| Location | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Coordinates | 40°46′13.44″N 111°53′39.3108″W / 40.7704000°N 111.894253000°WCoordinates: 40°46′13.44″N 111°53′39.3108″W / 40.7704000°N 111.894253000°W |
| Branches | 4,500+ (2009) Family History Centers |
| Website | Family History Library |
The Family History Library (FHL) is a genealogical research facility in downtown Salt Lake City. The library is open to the public free of charge and is operated by FamilySearch, the genealogical arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The origins of the Family History Library can be traced to the founding of the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1894. Through time the Library has changed locations within Salt Lake City as follows:
The current library building, just west of Temple Square was opened on October 23, 1985, and cost $8.2 million.
In 1938 the Genealogical Society of Utah began to microfilm records which contained genealogical data from around the world, and today this microfilm makes up much of the library's collection. Today the Genealogical Society of Utah is more commonly known as FamilySearch, and is currently working on digitizing many of its microfilm collections to be shared online.
Its main purpose is to fulfill one of the LDS Church fundamental tenets: that deceased family members, especially ancestors, can be baptized by proxy, as well as receive other saving ordinances. These ordinances are performed in temples. As its collection has grown, however, more individuals throughout the world are using the collection to research their ancestry and chart their genealogy.
The library is in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the headquarters of the LDS Church are located. It is the largest genealogical library in the world and is open to the general public at no charge. The library holds genealogical records for over 110 countries, territories, and possessions. Its collections include over 1.6 million rolls of microfilmed records onsite and access the total collection of more than 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records; 727,000 microfiche; 356,000 books, serials, and other formats; 4,500 periodicals; 3,725 electronic resources including subscriptions to the major genealogical websites.
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