Introduction to Family History Centers

Family history centers are branch facilities of the LDS Church's Family History Library that is in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although millions of the library's records are available on the Internet at www.familysearch.org, the vast majority of information is not digitized. A much larger collection of microfilms, microfiche, books, and CDs are available through the Family History Library. If you cannot make a personal visit to the Family History Library (FHL), you can make use of many of these resources through a local family history center (FHC).

There are 4,500 family history centers around the world. Most centers are located in meetinghouses and stake centers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Everyone is welcome to visit the centers and use their resources. Family history centers provide patrons access to the Family History Library's microfilm and microfiche on a loan basis at a minimal cost. (The library's book and CD collections do not circulate.) Family history centers also provide free access to many subscription websites, including Footnote.com, WorldVitalRecords.com, 19th Century British Newspapers and others. Larger centers may have access to Ancestry.com (the institution edition).

Family history centers are staffed by volunteers who can show you how to search for records of your family. There are several ways to find the nearest center:

Go to familysearch.org, and enter your information in the the Find a FamilySearch Center near you field.
Call FamilySearch support at 1-866-408-1830 (United States only).
Check your local phone directory under "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" for a family history center listing.

On FamilySearch.org, when you select the center you would like to visit, you see the address, typical hours of operation, and contact information for the center. Each center has unique hours of operation. Because the centers are operated by volunteers, the hours occasionally change. You may wish to call to confirm their hours before you visit.

A catalog of the Family History Library resources is available online. You can search for various types of information such as places, titles, last names, and subjects. Click the down arrow at the end of the Search field to see the types of information you can search for.

If you find a listing for a microfilm or microfiche you would like to see, for a nominal fee you can request that a copy of it be sent to your local family history center. A staff member will place the order and notify you when the film or fiche arrives. When ordering microfilm or microfiche, be sure to provide clear contact information (address, phone number, e-mail address).

You can see more details on ordering a microfilm or microfiche from a Family History Center.

Microfilms are typically available at the center for one month and can be renewed, if necessary. Microfilms have a 60-day loan period: 15 days to send the microfilm to the center; 30 days to review the microfilm at the center, and 15 days to return the microfilm to the library. You can ask to have the review period extended for another 30 days. Microfiche do not have to be returned to the Family History Library. Once copies of the microfiche are received, they can be held permanently at the center. Microfilm and microfiche loaned by the library must be viewed at a family history center.

There is no charge to visit or use a family history center, its computers, or the Internet. Scanners, microfilm/fiche printers, and copiers are available in some centers at minimal cost to help cover the cost of paper and supplies. Costs for other services vary, but the following costs pertain to centers in the United States as of March 2009:

Microfilms ordered in the United States: $5.50 per film.
Book photocopies: Usually $0.05 per page
Microfilm/fiche copies: $0.25 per paper copy
Microfilm/fiche scan to your own disk or USB drive: free
Some FHCs have writable/rewritable CDs they can sell to patrons wishing to scan microform images to CD. Prices vary.

Ask a staff member about current fees and ordering procedures.

To make your visit most effective, collect and organize the information you already have. A family group record is a good place to start. Bringing a completed family group record will help center staff more easily and effectively assist you in your search.