The Future of Family History Centers and Libraries in the Years of the Pandemic

Copper engraving of Doctor Schnabel [i.e Dr. Beak], a plague doctor in seventeenth-century Rome, with a satirical macaronic poem (‘Vos Creditis, als eine Fabel, / quod scribitur vom Doctor Schnabel’) in octosyllabic rhyming couplets. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_doctor

As the number of daily new cases of the COVID-19 virus around the world continue to increase rapidly as of the date of this post, logical questions arise about the future. Family History Centers and Libraries have been closed because of the pandemic since the middle of March, now about 3 months ago. 

As I have noted many times, my wife and I have been serving at the Brigham Young University (BYU) Family History Library for the past six years (including a year spent in Maryland, United States at the Maryland State Archives digitizing records for FamilySearch.org but continued to participate in webinars and other presentations). This is the longest period in my life for the last sixteen plus years that I have not been serving regularly in a Family History Center or Library. 

My experience with serving at the Mesa FamilySearch Library came to an interesting conclusion when I moved to Provo, Utah, and began serving at the BYU Family History Library. Shortly after we left Mesa, Arizona, the Mesa FamilySearch Library was closed for "temporary remodeling and repairs." Unfortunately, the building housing the Library was never used again. There were many Church Service Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving at the Library at the time it closed. See "What is happening with the Mesa FamilySearch Library?" and "The Plight of the Mesa FamilySearch Library" and other previous posts including the final one: "The End of an Era: Mesa FamilySearch Library is Closing Completely."

Shortly after we arrived in Provo, Utah, we witnessed a similar situation when the Orem FamilySearch Center/Family History Training Center was closed and many Church Service Missionaries were released within a very short time. I am still hearing stories about the closure of the Training Center, now closed for almost five years. 

The situation that occurred with the Mesa FamilySearch Library has become a prime example of the problems associated with the closing of a busy and well-attended family history facility. From the time of the Library's closure in the late Fall of 2014 until its final closure in 2018, the Church Service Missionaries continued to serve where and when the could. The missionaries moved the function of the Library to an older (original) building after a long wait for information about when and if the Library would reopen. Finally, the issue was resolved when it was announced that the Mesa, Arizona Temple would be closed for renovation and both the older and newer Family History Library buildings would eventually be torn down. It was also announced that a new Family History Discovery Center and Family History Center would be included in the Temple's Visitor Center. With the pandemic, the Mesa, Arizona Temple's reopening, and the opening of the Visitor's Center are likely dependent on the progress of the pandemic. 

Now we come to the closing and future possible reopening of the BYU Family History Library. There are some major differences between the BYU facility and the one in Mesa but there are a lot of similarities. Both Libraries were busy, well-attended, and staffed with many Church Service Missionaries. All of the missionaries in Mesa were put into a state of indecision about the future of their service. Likewise, the BYU missionaries are now in a similar situation. Most of us are well into the age considered to be at an increased risk for the virus. Even if limited use of the BYU Family History Library were allowed, we would not be able to return to serve at the Library because of our susceptibility. 

No firm announcements about the opening of the Family History Library have been yet released but I have heard that even if the Library is opened, use of the Library would be limited to students and university staff and educators. We may be excluded from the Library for as long as a year or even more. 

Now this problem is not confined to the BYU Family History Library, the same problem exists with the Salt Lake City, Utah Family History Library, and all of the other Libraries and Centers around the world. 

We need to get on with our presently very limited lives. We should not be put in the same position as were the missionaries in Mesa; waiting for word of whether or not they could go back to serve and ultimately told that they were essentially out of work. Many of us have struggled with how we should respond to this situation. However, we are not alone. This is the situation with Church Service Missionaries of all kinds waiting to serve around the world. But there are also Family History Center Directors and volunteers who are not missionaries and who are also in the same circumstances. How many of us will wait and wait and then ultimately find out that our Centers have been closed permanently or that the Libraries no longer need senior missionaries to serve?

There has been a continued background of discussion about how many of the existing centers are still needed and used. There have been other discussions about centers being closed and consolidated into a more central location such as was done with the Riverton Family History Library in Utah. This pause in the service of so many missionaries would be a good time to make those decisions and let the missionaries, Center Directors, and volunteers know that they will not be needed. 

Both my wife and I have talked about alternatives. In our case, we have plenty of our own family history work to do but it is a shame that people with extensive family history and genealogy experience, some of who have spent years learning, helping, teaching, and serving will be lost to the greater genealogical community. 

What if we just wait around to see what happens? Not a good idea. When you are as old as we are, there are not a lot of realistic years in the future to plan. If we are going to do something we need to do it now. 

To anyone who can make a decision in this matter, take a lesson from Mesa and Orem and BYU and let us get on with our lives.