[MUSIC PLAYING]
[VOCALIZING]
The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is the story of people.
People with dreams and goals, and though living
in another time or another place,
they are a lot like us.
They lived and worked, prayed and loved.
Spent their time.
And made the biggest decisions of their lives
to learn and do
what they felt was right.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
They were people living to know God
and know that He knew them.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
And from each one, there is a story
of promises,
covenants they made with God,
[MUSIC PLAYING]
and then faithfully lived and worked to keep those covenants
for the rest of their lives.
Their stories now make up an ever-growing record
of the personal often sacred experiences of the Restoration
of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Recorded in journals, histories, photographs, and minutes,
their lives are preserved here at the Church History
Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
never to be forgotten.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
On the day the Restoration was formalized
in the organization of the Church, the Lord Himself
directed the Prophet Joseph Smith to keep
the history of the Church saying,
"Behold, there shall be a record kept among you."
It is because of that divine mandate
that the Church preserves historical materials
from its restoration in upstate New York
to the present day with millions of members around the world.
The Church History Library is a professional facility
that preserves the Church's vast collections
of historical information,
providing insight and inspiring faith and hope
in visitors as they connect with the people, places, and events
in Church history.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHATTER]
See you, Byron.
See you, William.
See you, William!
Stop it, Byron!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm telling mother!
[PANTING]
[SCREAMING]
[LAUGHTER]
Take this, Sarah!
[WATER SPLASHING]
Oh, you're gonna get it.
Oh, Byron.
[LAUGHTER]
We're home!
So we hear.
Uh, uh, uh.
Shoes, young lady.
Sorry, mother.
So how's school?
Brother Hall's out of bread.
He's out?
Mm-hmm.
Father, father!
Jenny Hall told us that they had no flour and were out of bread.
I already told them that.
[BABY COOING]
Well, these winter days are stretching out longer
than the food we've all stored.
How did it go today, Mary Jane?
Good, I guess.
I learned a few things.
I do have a question, though.
You know how when we are helping people, we're serving God?
Yes.
Well, how are you supposed to know if it makes God happy?
Well--
[LAUGHTER]
Well, I mean it's not right away, but--
[KNOCKING]
Brother Hall, come in.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Ma'am.
Are you out of flour?
We have none.
Well, we have some in that sack.
Mary Jane, would you?
We were going to send it to you.
My children told me you were out.
Thank you.
Tried others but couldn't get any,
so I went out to the cedars and prayed to the Lord.
Told me, "Go see Joseph Millett."
He didn't bring any back.
The Lord sent you then.
You don't owe me for it.
Thank you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Is everything all right?
It's--good to think the Lord knows Joseph Millett.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let's make some biscuits, hmm?
Good.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
In her later years, Joseph's daughter, Mary Jane,
copied excerpts from his journal into a fresh new book.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It's good to think the Lord knows Joseph Millett.
There are many stories like Joseph Millett's
among the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and for decades, Church members preserve them
as best they knew how.
Now, with this state-of-the art facility,
the Church can truly preserve its history better than ever
before.
For this reason, the library's conservation lab
enables technicians to prolong the life of historically
significant materials, such as manuscripts, photographs,
and other items.
Images are scanned and microfilmed for easy access.
Twelve storage rooms maintain a stable and secure atmosphere,
where temperature and humidity levels are closely controlled
to help preserve items, such as motion picture films,
photographs, journals, books, Church records,
and other materials.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
In the library, you can use the catalogs and books
or consult with professional librarians and archivists
at the reference desk.
You may use any patron terminal to access commonly referenced
historical photographs and documents
with easy-to-use digital finding aides.
Materials from the preservation collections
can be viewed in the reading room.
And be sure to check for upcoming programs and events.
So we welcome you, and we invite you to fully
participate and enjoy the Church History Library.
We trust that our library will hold
something of personal interest and benefit for you.
The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is the story of people,
people who lived to know God and know that He knew them.
And from each one, there is a story,
a story of promises, covenants.
[MUSIC PLAYING]