Church History Library will be 'state of the art'

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.

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.