I was doing research in the Church Archives the day thirty years ago that the priesthood revelation was announced. I spent the better part of a year reading documents in both the public collection and original archives. I look forward to visiting the new library.

The solution to the dilemma between preserving records and letting them be used is to digitize everything. They will be protected from destruction by anything that could happen in a single location (such as a terrorist bomb, earthquake, fire or tornado (1999!)).

The next library project should be to create a digital copy of EVERYTHING they have. Copies of confidential material can be kept in the Granite Mountain vault, while the rest could be made available at high definition computers in the Library, to be viewed in lieu of the original books, except when there is a forensic need to see the original. Multi-spectral imaging could even reveal erased pencil drafts and fingerprints.

The public records could be viewed over the Internet by the growing millions of Mormons around the world, while security arrangements could let archived material be viewed remotely. More non-Mormon scholars could do original research and appreciate the Church more.

amen.

I go to the genealogy library often (more than 30 years now). What a terrific asset! The LDS church as a rare gem in the library and it is deeply appreciated by many people, many who are not LDS. Thank you for providing this service.

I hope to fulfull a lifelong goal to serve a mission there.

this is the parking lot east of the Conference Center where this new facility is going to be build?

What I love is how we are suppossed to live in a humble home, drive a modest car, live within our means, not be too extravagant in our purchases. But have you ever noticed when the church builds or remodels anything there is never any expense spared? It is made to withstand 45,000 hiroshima bomb blasts, a category 12 hurricane, F9 tornado, fire hotter than the surface of the sun, 12.9 on the richter scale. Just an observation.

Seems like a lot of money that was taken from poor old widows and starving young couples to build a big expensive building for a bunch of old records and books.

Priorities seem a bit messed up here.

Better to spend more money now than spend even more in the future to replace or renovate. Not a perfect system, but still better than most who build cheaply and then pay the price later.