What is a family history center?

Family history centers are branch facilities of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since many people are not able to travel to Salt Lake City to use the Family History Library, local family history centers make the library's resources accessible to those interested in family history research.

Centers provide access to most of the microfilms and microfiche in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City to help patrons identify their ancestors. Millions of records are stored on microfilms and microfiche. Patrons can order microfilms and microfiche to view at family history centers.

• What is a microfilm? A roll of film that contains reduced photographic images of various records.

• What is a microfiche? Rectangular sheets of microfilm on which information is arranged in rows and columns.

Everyone is welcome to come to the centers and use family history center resources.

Most centers are located in meetinghouses of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Centers are administered and operated by local Church members.

Location and Hours

There are approximately 4,500 family history centers worldwide. To find a family history center near you, click here.

Each center determines its own hours. Where available, the information in "Find a Family History Center" includes the hours of service and a telephone number. Before you visit, contact the center to verify when it is open.

Services

Research help from volunteer staff. Staff members will not do research for you. However, they can give you an orientation about the center, answer some research questions (research expertise in each center varies), help you use center resources, and order microfilms and microfiche from the Family History Library.

Training classes. Many centers offer patron classes on a variety of genealogical research topics.

Referrals to other libraries and archives. Family history center staff may also be aware of other institutions in the area that can help you.

Resources

Those you've already learned:

• Internet access -Some centers have this.

• Personal Ancestral File -Most family history centers have Personal Ancestral File available for patron use on a center computer.

• FamilySearch programs -Some of the programs you learned on FamilySearch.org are also on FamilySearch^TM (DOS). Those programs include:
  

  • Ancestral File

  • International Genealogical Index

  • Social Security Death Index

  • Family History Library Catalog

Those unique to family history centers:

• Microfilm and microfiche from the Family History Library - Centers only keep some microfilms and microfiche in their collections. Patrons can arrange to have copies of most Family History Library microfilms and microfiche loaned to the center for a small fee. For more information about loans, see Frequently Asked Questions.

• Published Resources -Most centers have a small collection of published reference sources that include research helps, genealogies, histories, gazetteers, atlases, and maps. These will vary from center to center.

• Family History Library Catalog -You have already learned about the catalog on the internet, but there is also a microfiche version at each family history center.

• Additional computer resources - Centers may have additional resource files on compact disc, such as TempleReady for Windows which you will learn about in Lesson 7: TempleReady.

• FamilySearch^TM (DOS). Many centers have a computer with FamilySearch^TM (DOS), a collection of computer files and programs to help individuals search for information about their ancestors. FamilySearch^TM (DOS) includes:
  

  • Ancestral File

  • International Genealogical Index (IGI)

  • Social Security Death Index

  • United States Military Index

  • Scottish Church Records

  • Family History Library Catalog

  • Ordinance Index - This file is the Church's official Temple record index. It has the same individuals as the IGI, except their ordinance dates are now shown. If you find people in this file, you can put them in the holding file using F2 and then print your holding file or save it to a disk. Consult a family history center staff member if you need any help. You can also view the more updated temple ordinance data online. See Lesson 3: FamilySearch.org for instructions on viewing this information.

  • TempleReady- this version of TempleReady is obsolete. Please use TempleReady for Windows as taught in Lesson 7: TempleReady.

  
  FamilySearch^TM (DOS) is similar to FamilySearch.org. To see a comparison chart, click here.

What should you bring?

Bring the name of an ancestor you wish to research and information you know about the person (such as birth, death, or marriage information). The more information you have about your ancestor, the better your chances for successful research. It may also be helpful to bring a completed pedigree chart.

Fees

• There is no fee to visit a family history center or to use most of its resources.

• Research outlines and resource guides may be sold at cost.

• There are small fees for:

  • Photocopies

  • Computer printouts

  • Microfilms or microfiche loaned to the center from the family history library to cover postage. Fees within the U.S. are as follows:

• For other countries' fees, refer to the nearest family history center.

• There may also be other small fees that vary between centers.

Other Questions

Click here to find answers to other questions about family history centers.

Assignments

Your instructor may assign you one or both of the following assignments:

Assignment #14 -- Visit a family history center

1. Visit a family history center near you.

2. Write a short summary, telling of your experiences and any findings. Include a copy of a finding where possible.

Assignment #15 - Search the Ordinance Index

1. Visit a family history center near you to use the Ordinance Index in FamilySearch^TM (DOS).

2. Look up 5 ancestors in the Ordinance Index, checking baptism, endowment, sealing to parents, and sealing to spouse. Put your findings in a holding file (F2) and then print the holding file. (If you cannot find any ancestors in the Ordinance Index, simply choose 5 entries at random.)