The Family History Library and FamilySearch Centers
The world's largest genealogy library is free and open to everyone, and its thousands of branches and affiliate libraries unlock records you can't see at home. Here's how to use them, in person or online.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, run by FamilySearch, holds one of the largest genealogy collections in the world: records filmed and digitized from more than 100 countries, plus hundreds of thousands of books. It's free and open to the public, regardless of religion. And you don't have to travel to Utah to use most of it.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City
The library sits next to Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. Admission is free and no appointment is needed for general research. Visitors get:
- Computers with access to FamilySearch and many subscription sites, including record images that are restricted elsewhere
- A large book collection, including county histories, family histories and published records
- Research consultants and volunteers who specialize in different countries and record types
- Scanners and printers
If you're planning a research trip, check the library's website for current hours and floor-by-floor collections. Prepare a list of specific records you want to see; with so much available, it's easy to spend the day browsing.
Free help from home: virtual consultations
You don't need to visit to get expert help. The Family History Library offers free online research consultations: a short one-on-one video session with a library consultant about a specific research problem. Sessions are offered for many countries and topics and in several languages. Look for "Family History Library virtual consultations" on the FamilySearch website.
To get the most from one, prepare a focused question ("I need to find where in Norway my great-grandfather was born; here's what I know") and send any documents in advance if the booking form allows it.
FamilySearch Centers
FamilySearch also runs thousands of FamilySearch Centers around the world, usually in Latter-day Saint meetinghouses but open to everyone free of charge. Volunteers can help you get started, and center computers often have access to subscription websites and to restricted FamilySearch images.
Hours vary widely, and many centers are open only a few days a week, so check ahead. You can find the nearest one with the "Find a FamilySearch Center" tool on the FamilySearch website.
FamilySearch affiliate libraries
Many public, university and genealogical society libraries are FamilySearch affiliate libraries. On their computers, you can see FamilySearch images that are restricted when you're at home. If you don't have a FamilySearch Center nearby, an affiliate library may be the easiest way to see those records. The same "find a center" tool lists them.
Understanding restricted images
When you browse records in the FamilySearch catalog, you'll see small icons beside each item:
- A camera: the images are online and you can view them from home.
- A camera with a key: the images are online but can be viewed only at the Family History Library, a FamilySearch Center or an affiliate library, or only by certain users. The restriction comes from the agreement with the archive that owns the records.
- A magnifying glass: the record is indexed and searchable by name.
- A film reel: the record was microfilmed but not yet digitized, or the digital images aren't available online.
FamilySearch stopped lending microfilm in 2017 and has been digitizing its film collection instead, so a record that was on film may now be online even if no one has indexed it. See Mastering the FamilySearch Catalog.
The Research Wiki and community help
Two other free FamilySearch resources are worth knowing:
- The FamilySearch Research Wiki, with hundreds of thousands of articles explaining what records exist for each country, state and county, and where to find them. Our state guides link to the wiki page for every state.
- FamilySearch Community, a free forum where volunteers answer research questions. See How to Ask for Genealogy Help Online.
Your FamilySearch account and privacy
A free FamilySearch account is required to view most images. Note that FamilySearch's main family tree is a single shared tree that anyone can edit, unlike the personal trees on Ancestry or MyHeritage. Treat what you find in it as clues, and see How to Use Online Family Trees. Information about living people you add is kept private.