From Deseret News archives:

Church History Library will be 'state of the art'

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008 12:28 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Besides the publication of "The Joseph Smith Papers," the construction of the new Church History Library in downtown Salt Lake City is evidence of the LDS Church's desire to make history more available to scholars and the public.

The 230,000-square-foot facility will have five floors and is currently under construction just east of the Conference Center and north of the Church Office Building at the northeast corner of Main and North Temple streets.

It will be completed in the spring of 2009. Construction began in October 2006.

"It'll be a great state-of-the-art library," said Elder Marlin K. Jensen, church historian and member of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Construction is a lengthy process because of all the considerations for temperature, humidity and the storage of rare old documents.

"It will be a very welcoming, convenient building," he said, noting the building is on schedule and in budget.

He believes it "will rival the great libraries of the world with its facilities and collections." He also feels it will be yet another significant attraction for anyone who makes a pilgrimage to Salt Lake City, church headquarters and Temple Square.

Story continues below
Elder Jensen said interest in LDS studies and scholarship seems to be at an all-time high. He credited Mitt Romney's presidential campaign for part of that, but said interest has been increasing for the past five years.

The new library will visually complement the Conference Center in its appearance and is located on what Elder Jensen describes as "a very choice corner."

The library's collection will include 270,000 books, pamphlets and magazines, as well as 240,000 original unpublished records. The library will house nearly 25 miles of shelving.

"These documents are the crown jewels of Mormonism. The truthfulness of Mormonism is inextricably tied to its history, and it is in our best interest to preserve these records and make them available to those who wish to study the origins of this remarkable faith," Elder Jensen said.

The facility's complicated construction will include 10 archival storage rooms and two subzero temperature vaults.

"The -4 degrees Fahrenheit vault is where we will keep motion picture film, rare books, some newspaper items and other material so we can make sure that they'll not only be available in 100 years, they will look good 100 years from now," said Brent Thompson, director of records preservation for the church.

Recent comments

I have to agree with Ben's comment, I found Palmers's work amateurish...

Jo Smith | March 17, 2008 at 7:25 a.m.

Ron: The same material found in the two books you mentioned are also...

Ben | Feb. 29, 2008 at 10:24 p.m.

Fine, but will we have access to the real Church history, ie., the...

Ron | Feb. 26, 2008 at 8:36 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

Collie featured in Sports Illustrated

Just talked to a guy here in Dallas that was at the game last night. He is a...

I don't like Utah's laws to begin with. We are a right to hire but more of a...

Agree - the affiliation with the BSA clearly has become more of a liability...

I'm so glad Dema is no longer on RSL's roster. He's a hothead that commits a...

ill never visit this restaurant for the way they acted by firing this...

What the DTG mean? I think this is sad, but I agree that the parents...

Noooo! the away goals tiebreaker is the only thing I about game that's not in...

Their actions, had this case not been treated as it has, could have made the...

"Marriage is a civil contract--no religion needed." If it is just a...

This man broke the law and should go to jail for what he did, it's as simple...

Advertisements
Advertisement