'Disneyland for family history': Library reopens after more than a year

SALT LAKE CITY — During the pandemic, Maegan Donnell said she started working on her ancestry "just as something to do."

The teacher from Atlanta began building her family tree online. A year later, her quest to learn more about her heritage brought her to the FamilySearch Family History Library in Salt Lake City as it reopened Tuesday — with numerous new features — more than a year since it closed due to COVID-19.

"As an African American, not having the same access to our history as many other cultures, it's important to know my roots and to know beyond my parents and grandparents where we came from, and there's still a big gap. I've done an African ancestry DNA test that says my original maternal ancestors were from Cameroon, but how did we get from Cameroon to here, and where were we, and what happened in between? So I'm just interested in finding out as much as I can, as far back as I can," Donnell explained.

She noted that both of her parents have passed away, as well as her grandparents.

"So this is as best as I can do to try to find out my history," she said.

When she learned of the FamilySearch Center, Donnell thought she'd visit it on her way out West during her summer vacation.

"And it just so happened they were open today," she said.

When Donnell previously reached her fifth-great-grandparents in her family tree, she said she was left with more questions about her ancestry. But at the family history center, she said specialists were helping her find clues.

"And so being here, they were able to go through this book of antebellum southern records, and I was able to find a medical doctor who possibly provided medication for my enslaved family members. And that last name is the same name I was finding, which is why maybe there's a little history there," she said.

Donnell thought the resource could lead to more answers about her ancestors. She also found a record of a North Carolina woman, the widow of a slave-owner, who had a shared last name with her ancestors. That woman willed her slaves free "which could possibly be my family," Donnell said.

"It's been helpful to be here," she said.

A new experience

Paul Nauta, FamilySearch spokesman, told KSL.com that the morning of the center's reopening brought "constant" crowds excited to get insights into their ancestry.

The center had been closed since March 2020, Nauta explained.

"Which is an eternity for genealogists, right?" he said.

Those who visit the center now will see a lot of changes — from a different layout to updated technology and innovations.

"We weren't really planning on remodeling, but when we realized we were going to be closed for an extended period, we've always had dreams and desires to do this, so, 'Why not? Let's get after it,'" Nauta said.

He said patrons over the year have requested more access to charging stations for their electronics. Each desk now has multiple charging stations, Nauta said.

The stations where patrons can work have also been upgraded to include two computer monitors and rising hydraulic desks. While working at a station, patrons can type in their questions and request help on their computer. A specialist within the library will then go directly to them.

Additional changes:

• New state-of-the-art microfilm pods scan microfilms electronically.
• Photocopies are now free. Before the pandemic, they were 5 cents each.
• Hundreds of thousands of books have been added, with 100,000 more available online.
• Guests can convert slides, photos, videotapes and other media to a digital format with equipment on site.
• A new breakroom to be completed later in the summer will offer guests a place to eat snacks and lunches they bring into the center.
• More Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility features have been added.

The renovations "brought it up to the 21st Century," Nauta said.

"We just miss our patrons. We have hundreds of thousands of visitors a year from all over the world, and it's just been tough to not be able to serve them in person, so we're so excited to be open, to have them here, and feel their energy. And they energize us, so we're excited to bring them in and introduce them to a totally upgraded user experience, as well," he said.

"It's Disneyland for family history," Nauta added.

Jim Benton served as a family history missionary but was released in late June.

"I was here the last day it was opened in March of last year, and I wanted to be here the first day it opened back up again, so I came in with some of my own pictures to do for a change," he said as he scanned a pile of family pictures using the library's new photo scanners.

"For one thing, I get to look at some old pictures I haven't seen forever, and that's a nice thing," Benton said, pointing out a family picture taken in 1997. He planned to share the photos he scanned with the rest of his family in a digital folder.

Sister Sue Reuser, a missionary who serves at the center, also had to visit on Tuesday — despite the fact that it was her day off.

"It was too exciting not to come on the day it first opened," she said.

"It's incredible what we can find and how happy we can make people when we find their grandpa in records and stuff like that. It's so rewarding to be here, that's why there's so many of us here doing what I do. Right now, I'm looking up stuff that can only be seen in the library that's closed to people at home on their computers," Reuser said.

Initially, the family history library will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. No reservations are required.

For those who can't visit the library in person, interactive services are available online. Those interested in learning more can schedule a consultation online with a specialist. More information is available at familysearch.org.

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