Considering the future of FamilySearch Family History Centers

 

https://www.familysearch.org/fhcenters/locations/

FamilySearch.org in conjunction with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church) has a huge network of 5397 Family History Libraries and Family History Centers around the world as of the date of this post. These libraries and centers range in size and content from the Salt Lake City, Family History Library, a world-renowned collection of books, films, images, and documents, to much smaller centers that may have a few computers and some other limited resources. The number of these libraries and centers reflect the degree of importance the Church and its members place on doing vicarious ordinances for the members' ancestors. See "Vicarious Work." Although many people around the world are interested in and participate in genealogical research, the members of the Church have a unique religious reason for being involved. 

Back in 2017, I wrote a blog post entitled, "Three Years at the BYU Family History Library: A Retrospective." In that post, I wrote the following about my experiences in the Brigham Young University Family History Library. 

What I do see is the most of the patrons of the library, including the other missionaries serving in the Library, fail to use the Library's resources. Books go untouched. Microfilm and microfiche are only rarely accessed. I almost never see patrons or those serving in the Library using the fabulous collection of reference books prominently displayed in the Library. In fact, it is just exactly like my years ago experience at the University of Utah Library during the times the students were on breaks between classes. From the full-time students' perspective, the Library is a place to study for their classes and socialize. From the perspective of the non-student patrons, the Library is a place to come and use electronic devices. It is very much like going to a world class restaurant to eat your peanut butter and jelly sandwich from a brown bag.

Why is this the case?

• After thinking about this phenomena for about 60 years, I have come to the following conclusions.
• Very few people know how to use a library's collections.
• The internet is giving everyone the idea that it is the only source of information available to the world.
• Even those are comfortable in libraries lack the research skills to fully utilize their contents.
• Most people do not see study and research as positive leisure activities. 
• Libraries, in general, do a poor job of promoting their research collections and university libraries are among those who do the least to promote their facilities.
• Public libraries are facing serious challenges in funding and support.

Most of the Family History Centers are locally operated. Except for a few of the larger FamilySearch Family History Libraries, the Center operate out of rooms in the local Church chapels. All of these facilities are free and accessible by the general public. 

During the pandemic, almost all of these facilities have been closed and at the time of this post, only a few of them are open and operating. 

Genealogical research is directly dependent on access to historical records. Over the past twenty years or so, billions of genealogically valuable historical records have been made available online. Some of these, such as those on FamilySearch.org, are free to the everyone. Other websites with records are behind a paywall or are otherwise restricted. One of the main attractions of the Family History Centers and Libraries has been their access to a number of subscription websites for free through the FamilySearch Partner Program. Some of these websites, such as Ancestry.com, also have library editions of their programs that are available to patrons of public and some private libraries in the United States and possibly elsewhere. 

Another major function of the world-wide Family History Centers is to provide local, free, access to the internet and genealogy records to places in the world where access is expensive or non-existent. Obviously, some of the countries of the world will not let Family History Centers be established or operate. The pandemic, by closing all the Family History Centers, has demonstrated that genealogical research can go on without access to Family History Centers. Some leaders of the Church has expressed the opinion that the future family history center is in the home. 

Now, Family History Centers, for the most part, have very limited collections of actual records and documents. Their access to these documents is largely through the FamilySearch Portal and other websites that can be accessed on the internet. Some of the websites listed on the FamilySearch Portal are otherwise available for free online to anyone who has internet access. Beginning on 2 June 2021 until August, the FamilySearch Portal was unavailable and inoperable. One effect of the closure of the Family History Centers and the Portal being down was that some of the records hosted on the FamilySearch website were restricted and not available. These records, for a variety of reasons, were restricted to viewing only in a FamilySearch Family History Center or Library. 

Now, what would happen if more of the records became available without the need for a Family History Center Portal connection? Why would we need to go to a Family History Center? The fact is that only a relatively small percentage of all the records online are somehow only available through a Family History Center. Granted some of the records that are restricted are ONLY available through the links at a Family History Center. 

From a realistic perspective, many records around the world are difficult to access and only available from particular entities such as the billions of records only available from the United States National Archives. Family History Centers have been sorely missed by many genealogical researchers around the world. They do provide a valuable service. They need to be giving the support and priority they merit. Closing a Family History Center or a Library should be carefully considered and only done for overriding purposes. Although many records can be access from home, we will need Family History Centers and Libraries for a long time into the future.