Idaho Falls Idaho FamilySearch Center

We are located at 750 W. Elva Street 3 blocks north of the Idaho Falls, Idaho Temple and Visitors Center. We serve all of Bonneville, Butte, Lemhi Counties, and part of Bingham County. We have 90+ part time service missionaries and 11 volunteers in 2014. In 2013 we served 13,139 patrons and held 722 classes. We invite you to join us, either as a volunteer or as a patron.

Library Contacts and Hours
Location Map:


 * Location on Map

Address:


 * 750 West Elva St Idaho Falls Idaho 83402 United States
 * There is ample parking on the street around the Library plus a small parking lot northeast of the building.
 * The Library's entrance is on the south side of the building, facing Elva Street.


 * Language:English

Phone:


 * 1-208-524-5291

E-mail:


 * ID_IdahoFalls@ldsmail.net

Open Hours:

 * Monday:       9:00am-5:00pm
 * Tuesday:      9:00am-8:00pm
 * Wednesday: 9:00am-8:00pm
 * Thursday:    9:00am-8:00pm
 * Friday:         9:00am-5:00pm
 * Saturday:     9:00am-5:00pm

Holiday Schedule:
December 23rd-31st - Christmas

December 31 - January 4 New Years 2015

March 14 - Eastern Idaho Family History Conference

April 4 - General Conference

May 23 -25 - Memorial Day

June 22 - July 5 - Yearly Maintenance

July 24 at 4 pm - Pioneer Day

September 5-7 - Labor Day

October 3 - General Conference

October 31 at 1 pm - Halloween

Novermber 25 -29 - Thanksgiving

December 23 - 31 - Christmas

January 1-3 - New Years 2016

New Missionary Training Schedule:
January 19th - New missionary training

April 13th - New missionary training

September 14th - New missionary training

Calendars of Class Schedule
(click on blue above for class schedule)   

Lesson Plans and Class Handouts
After going to the Lesson Plan and Class Handouts directory, select a folder, such as Ancestry Quest, to see the contents.

= Article/s of Interest =

We Have A Work To Do

President Brigham Young said: “We have a work to do just as important in its sphere as the Savior’s work was in its sphere. Our fathers cannot be made perfect with us and we cannot be made perfect without them. They have done their work and now sleep. We are now called upon to do ours; which is to be the greatest work man ever performed on the earth.” (Discourses of Brigham Young - Salt lake City: Desert Book Co. 1941, page 406) President Wilford Woodruff declared, “We want the Latter day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as the can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it….This is the will of the Lord to this people. “ The purpose of family history, Presdient Woodruff explained, is to obtain names and statistical data so the temple ordinances can be performed in behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to hear the restored gospel during mortal life. He taught on another occasion that “we have got to enter into those temples and redeem our dead-not only the dead of our own family, but the dead of the whole spirit world.” (JD 21:192) President Joseph Fielding Smith associated family history and temple work with love for mankind, declaring that laboring on behalf of the dead is “a work that enlarges the soul of man, broadens his views regarding the welfare of his fellowman, and plants in his heart a love for all the children of our Heavenly Father. There is no work equal to that in the temple for the dead in teaching a man to love his neighbor as himself.” (The Encyclopedia of Mormonism) new.familysearch.org to see your family pedigrees and to prepare names for the temple. familysearch.org to research for your families

= Where else can I go to learn to do family history =


 * Basic and advanced research classes are available. Here are found classes from introduction to doing research to performing in depth research such as how to research German records.
 * For information on using familysearch.org try this. This is a series of excellent how-to videos, online courses, guides and manuals, lessons and activities, handouts, and webinars on using The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints genealogy program.
 * Legacy Family Tree has free online WEBINARS. Each video remains free for about a month and then becomes available through the purchase of a CD so you can build a library if you wish.
 * RootsMagic also has free online webinars at: www.rootsmagic.com/Webinars/

What software do I need and where can I get it?

 * The Idaho Falls Family History center does not recommend any particular program. In fact, many different programs are used by the staff.
 * Here is a link from a Google search on Genealogy Software programs that lists the Top Ten..
 * Comparative Informationon several programs are shown on this page. These are all free but do have a more enhanced version you can purchase. After the description there is a link to the vendor's website.
 * If you want to switch from PAF to another software package, Ancestral Quest, Legacy and RootsMagic  will accept your files directly.
 * Ancestral Quest, Legacy Family Tree, RootsMagic and Family Insight are on all of the computers in the FHC for you to use while doing research.

Library Resources



 * 24 networked computer workstations with a data/video projector in the main classroom.
 * 16 networked computer workstations with a data/vidio projector in a secound classroom (resently added) Bell Room
 * 27 networked computer workstations on the main floor with printing capabilities
 * fiberoptics for internet access at worktables (wifi available)
 * large teaching/meeting room with 1 computer, 1 overhead projector, 1 data/video projector, white boards, piano and seating for approximately 60
 * 5 microfilm readers
 * 1 microfiche readers
 * 1 flatbed scanner
 * 1 microfilm/microfiche scanners with printing capabilities.
 * 1 copy machine (color and black/white) Cost black and white 5 cents, color 25 cents; also includes scanning capabilities.
 * a lunch room for patrons (because we love you)
 * We have the capability of binding/repairing (but not restoring) donated books.

Collections and Film/Fiche ordering

 * All microfilm and microfiche must now be ordered online!
 * We have over 14,000 rolls of microfilm and over 16,000 sets of microfiche.
 * Family History Library Catalog
 * Eastern Idaho Obituary Collection;


 * 1) We maintain the Eastern Idaho Death Records Index  which is hosted by BYU Idaho. This is an index of deaths in eastern Idaho and surrounding area from the early 1900s to the present.
 * 2) We have the obituaries published in the local newspapers for most of the individuals found in the Eastern Idaho Death Records Index. These obituaries are not online and can only be viewed at the Center.

Staff Research Specialists
By Appointment Only We have many dedicated and knowledgeable missionaries and volunteers to assist in helping you to find your people. The FHC also teaches classes on doing research in many of these areas.

Danish * Dutch * English * French * German * Germans from Russia * Italian * Latin * Native American * Norwegian * Russian * Scandinavian * Spanish * Swedish * Medieval

Links to useful and fun sites.
Discover technologies that will improve your family history research and knowledge. This is a very, VERY, VERY cool place.Try TechTips

Here is a little magnifier that sits on your computer desktop to enable your poor ol' tired eyes to see things on your screen better.....it does not replace sleep. Virtual Magnifying Glass is a free, open source, screen magnification tool for Windows and Linux. It is simple, customizable, and easy-to-use. The program shows a magnifying glass lens that follows the mouse movement. You can move the lens around the screen to view magnification of any screen area. To close the lens, click the left mouse button. Virtual Magnifying Glass also adds it's own taskbar icon. Left-click on the icon offers a shortcut for launching the lens again.

Irfanview is an image viewer that we use a lot at the FHC. It will even make panoramas from several .jpgs.

Faststone Capture will very quickly and easily capture all of your screen or just a few words. This is version 5.3 which is free. There is a new version, 6.7 which will actually edit video but it is not free.

FamilySearch's Research Wiki

Get research advice, or learn where to find record collections in our 76,956 articles. In the FamilySearch Research Wiki, you can learn how to do genealogical research or share your knowledge with others.

Volunteer at the Library

 * Do you want to learn more about doing family history? We will teach you how to help yourself while we teach you to help others. We encourage you to do your own research when not assisting patrons.
 * Would you like to serve a full or part time mission but need to stay close to home? Come join us at the FHC where you can meet many new people and help them find their ancestors.Make an appointment with Elder Sweat at the Family History Center.
 * Do you have special computer, language or research skills? We have a place for you to keep those skills honed and practiced. Use 'em or lose 'em.
 * You can serve as few as two days a week, Monday through Saturday.