Church History Library unveiled

With more than a million records and artifacts ranging from an 1830 first-edition copy of the Book of Mormon to this year's edition of its Spanish-language Bible, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now has a singularly dedicated building for housing its historical documents, records, journals, photographs, film and microfiche.

And during an open house Friday and Saturday, both the building — the new Church History Library — and some of its key contents will be on public display.

LDS Church leaders and officials took the media through the new 240,000-square-foot building Thursday for a preview.

Elder Marlin K. Jensen, church historian/recorder and member of the Quorums of the Seventy, ceremoniously shelved a final artifact — a scrapbook from President David O. McKay of his 55,000-mile "world tour" as an apostle in 1921.

It was placed Thursday in one of a dozen storage vaults controlled for temperature, humidity and security, including fire and seismic protections. Ten of the 12 are kept at 55 degrees; the other two are subzero storage areas for film preservation. Altogether, they provide more than 50 miles of shelf space.

"Church History has the task of collecting it, preserving it and sharing it," said Elder Jensen, who displayed other samples from the library — an 1835 inaugural LDS hymnal containing words but no musical scoring; a rare 1852 Book of Mormon published in French and German on alternate pages; and a scrapbook of President Ezra Taft Benson's post-World War II travels in Europe to help with humanitarian aid.

"It's hard for someone not of our faith to appreciate something like this," Elder Jensen said, "something that has a direct connection to the start of our faith or any point along the way."

For the open house, a primary reading room will double as a display area for dozens more selected artifacts — including a recently discovered manuscript of the Book of Commandments and Revelations — that Church History managing director Steve Olsen said have rarely, if ever, been on public display.

"We don't have the sword of Laban, we don't have the golden plates, and we don't have the Urim and Thummin," said Olsen with a smile on notions that such Book of Mormon artifacts are in LDS Church possession.

"But what we do have," he added, "represents the history of the church in this dispensation in a very remarkable way."

Besides providing much-needed space for secure storage and enhanced conservation and preservation efforts, the Church History Library allows for improved public interface with reception, reading and research rooms. However, items will be available for research purposes, rather than mere whimsical browsing.