Utah Archives and Libraries

United States Utah  Archives and Libraries

Many archives and libraries have resources such as maps, gazetteers, and other place-finding aids to help you locate information about Utah. They may have collections of previous research, such as family and local histories and biographies. Many have record-finding aids such as guides to their own collections or inventories of records housed elsewhere in the state.

The following libraries and archives are helpful for research in the state of Utah. Search the wiki for the county to locate local libraries, archives, and Family History Centers.

See also United States Archives and Libraries for a more extensive list of libraries on a national basis.

Regional National Archive
National Archives Rocky Mountain Region (Denver) Building 48, Denver Federal Center West 6th Avenue &amp; Kipling Denver, CO 80225 Telephone: 303-407-5700 Fax: 303-407-5707 Internet: National Archives Rocky Mountain Region (Denver)

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 25307 Denver, CO 80225

State Libraries and Archives
Utah State Archives and Record Service 300 South Rio Grande Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Phone: 801-533-3535 Fax: 801-533-3504

Research Center hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday Closed Saturday and Sunday Online Catalog

The Utah State Archives and Records Service is a state government agency that works with records created by other state and local governmental entities in Utah. Records of historical value are housed in our permanent collections and are available for research. See the website for holdings and services which include an online catalog and both inhouse and online documents and photos. .

The Archives shares a the historic Rio Grande building with the Utah State Historical Society. The Research Center serves researchers of both organizations.

Utah State Historical Society 300 Rio Grande Street Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1182 Telephone: 801-533-3500 Fax: 801-533-3504

Office hours 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday - Thursday Closed Friday and Saturday

The Historical Society and the Utah State Archives and Record Service are both housed in the historic Rio Grande building. They share a research facility, the Research Center where there are thousands of photographs, books, manuscript collections, maps, newspapers and periodicals Center and online. Research Center hours 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday - Thursday Closed Friday and Saturday Online Catalog

The Utah State Historical Society publishes the Utah Historical Quarterly, a helpful resource for Utah research since 1928. A guide to some manuscripts and photographs at the Utah State Historical Society is:


 * Utah State Historical Society. A Guide to Unpublished Materials at the Utah State Historical Society. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah. State Historical Society Library, 1989. Only large collections of manuscripts are listed. The manuscripts and photographs are listed by person or topic. No index or cross reference is included.

Public Libraries
Logan Library 255 North Main Logan, UT 84321 Telephone: 435-716-9120

Salt Lake City Public Library 209 East 500 South Street Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Telephone: 801-524-8200 Fax: 801-524-8289

University Libraries and Special Collections
Harold B. Lee Library Harold B. Lee Library Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602 Telephone: 801-378-2926

Marriott Library University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Telephone: 801-581-8364 Fax: 801-585-3464 Internet: Marriott Library

Merrill Library Utah State University Logan, UT 84322 Telephone: 801-797-2678 Fax: 801-797-2880 Internet: Merrill Library

Gerald R. Sherratt Library Special Collections Southern Utah University 351 Center Street Cedar City, UT 84720 Telephone: 435-586-7933 or 435-586-1955 Fax: 435-865-8152 Internet: Gerald R. Sherratt Library Special Collections

Stewart Library Weber State University 2901 University Circle Ogden, UT 84408-2901 Telephone: 801-626-6545 Fax: 801-626-7045 Internet: Stewart Library

Family History Centers
Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150 Telephone: 801-240-2331 Fax: 801-240-1584 E-Mail: fhl@ldschurch.org

This is the largest library devoted entirely to genealogical research in the world. It is also associated with more than 4,500 Family History Centers throughout the world. The holdings include a large collection of Utah records. Information on the hours, holidays, catalog, collection, services, key resources, and how to prepare to visit the library are on the FamilySearch web site.

The following guide book will help in using the library. It gives suggestions on preparing to visit the library, genealogy research tips, and helps in using the library.


 * Parker, J. Carlyle. Going to Salt Lake City to Do Family History Research. 3rd ed. Turlock, California: Marietta Publishing, 1996.

A history of the Genealogical Society of Utah was written during the centennial of the society. This book covers the beginning of the society to 1994. It contains a history of the library, of microfilming, and an overview of the Granite Mountain Records Vault.


 * Allen, James B., Jessie L. Embry and Kahlile Mehr. Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of Utah. 1894-1994. Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, Brigham Young University, 1995.

Other guides and reference works at the Family History Library that may be helpful include:


 * Guide to Archives and Manuscript Collections in Select Utah Repositories. Salt Lake City, Utah; Utah State Historical Society, 1990. (Family History Library compact disc no. Four Parts 1-4.) The compact disc copy is available through the Utah State Archives. It is also part of the LDS Family History Suite 2 described in Utah Biography


 * The Family History Library has published directories for the libraries in Utah. One covers the special libraries and the other lists the public libraries.
 * Directory of Special Information Resources in Utah Salt Lake City, Utah
 * Directory of Public Libraries in Utah, 1988-1989. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah State Library Division, 1989.

Utah Valley Regional Family History Center Telephone: 801-378-6200 General Reference Telephone: 801-378-2927 Fax: 801-538-1050 Internet:Utah Valley Regional Family History Center

Private Libraries and Archives
Church History Library The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints History Library 15 East North Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3800 Library Telephone: 801-240-2745 Archives Telephone: 801-240-2272 Internet: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints History Library


 * The Church History Library is a stand alone building that sits on the block northeast of Temple Square. You will need to bring identification with a photograph, such as a driver's license. Church History Library material does not circulate to Family History Centers.

Web Sites

 * RootsWeb United States Resouces: Utah. This site provides links to vital record offices, genealogical and historical societies, queries, mailing lists, county-by-county Internet sites, and gopher sites.
 * RLIN, a guide to archives and manuscript collections in selected Utah repositories, is an online national database maintained by the Research Libraries Group accessible at member libraries. In Utah, the Utah State Archives, Utah State Historical Society, and Brigham Young University's library catalogs are online.

Some societies have biographical and genealogical records. For example, the Society of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers has a library and has published many histories. See the Utah Societies wiki article for more information.