Research Resources
The Church History Department collects, preserves, and shares historical records and artifacts with anyone who has an interest in the history of the Church. The following resources provide access to this vast historical collection.
The Church History Library is the central hub for preserving and sharing the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Whether you are interested in learning more about early Church pioneers, discovering your ancestors’ involvement in Church history through the Biographical Database, or exploring official records available in the Catalog, the library holds hundreds of thousands of digitized journals, photographs, meeting minutes, and historical documents open to the public. With useful search tools, curated research guides, and a dedicated team of Church history consultants ready to assist you, the library makes it easy for members to connect with their heritage and deepen their understanding of the Restoration.
The Joseph Smith Papers is the definitive collection of Joseph Smith’s writings, providing images and transcripts of original documents from the 1800s. Researchers can visit the website to study the Prophet’s many discourses, read his journals, compare the accounts of the First Vision, or examine details of the handwritten Book of Mormon manuscript.
The Church Historian’s Press website includes works of Latter-day Saint history that meet high standards of scholarship, including document-based projects and narrative histories. These include pioneer journals, discourses of female Church leaders, and the story of the Young Women organization.