Visit the Mesa Regional Family History Center

Metropolitan Phoenix is currently listed as the fifth largest city in the United States. Serving this huge population and even a much larger population and geographic area, is the Mesa Regional Family History Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located to the east of Phoenix in the city of Mesa, Arizona, this Center is a must visit location for more than 50,000 visitors every year.

As listed on their Website, here are some of the resources available at the Center:

• 125 computers and 16 film/fiche readers
• Free access to Internet web sites, Including FamilySearch.org, Ancestry, Footnote, HeritageQuest, New England Historical Genealogists Society, World Vital Records, Godfrey Memorial Library and many other sites.
• Pedigree Resource File CD's
• Over 700 Commercial CD's with genealogical research data.
• Over 17,000 Books. See newly acquired books and publications.
• Over 126,000 rolls of microfilm and 52,000 microfiche. Additional films and fiche may be rented from the Salt Lake Library.
• Copiers and printers are available.
• Genealogy forms, research outlines, word lists, etc., available at cost in our Copy Room.
• Free Classes and Workshops --- Over 113 classes and workshops each month.
• Research Specialty Committees at the Regional Family History Center.
• Workshops -- with 28 computers at the Family History Training Center, 464 E. 1st Avenue for hands-on-training.

I have found that there are even some genealogists in the Phoenix area who profess to be professionals who have never visited the Mesa Regional Family History Center. I think that the impression comes about as a result of exposure to local or Stake Family History Centers which are usually located in one of the Church's Ward or Stake buildings and usually consist of one or two rooms with very limited resources.

On a busy day at the Center, there can be more than a hundred people busy at microfilm readers or computers.