Church History Department Historical Records Access Policy

The Church History Department is the official repository for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including records created by General Church Authorities and Officers, Church departments, and local ecclesiastical units worldwide. The department also collects and preserves published materials, manuscripts, art, artifacts, and other records to document the history of the Church and its people.

In administering access, the Church History Department follows these general definitions:

  • Private: Items containing information protected by applicable privacy laws. We also respect the rights of third parties whose information is included in a Church historical record.
  • Confidential: Records produced in the course of Church business and ecclesiastical matters that take place in non-public settings. Confidential records are primarily found in official Church records and in privately created papers of General Authorities, Church officers, Church employees, ecclesiastical leaders, clerks, and others holding positions of trust. Some published items, art, and artifacts may also include confidential information. Items that provide specific information about temple rites and ceremonies or other sacred matters that have not been officially approved for release are considered confidential as well.
  • Creator or donor defined restrictions: Limitations imposed by item creators and/or donors during the accession or acquisition process. May also apply to archival materials that are on loan or duplicates of original materials held by other institutions.
  • Intellectual property: Items containing information owned by external parties and governed by national and international copyright laws. Copyright may place limitations on reproduction or publication of items in our collections.
  • Defamation: Items containing information known to defame a person as determined in legal proceedings.
  • Cultural sensitivities: Records that contain information, images, or artifacts about any culture, organization, or country they may want withheld from the public.
  • Physical characteristics: Items in need of special handling or conservation, items stored on obsolete media, and items of significant monetary value may be protected temporarily or indefinitely. Reasonable efforts will be made to prepare publicly accessible copies of these items.
  • Work in process: Items or collections that are being processed after acquisition or have been removed from storage for conservation, digitization, or display will not be accessible to researchers until these tasks have been completed.

The department is dedicated to providing appropriate access to Church historical records. Millions of digital assets are available in the online catalog and others in the Church History Library reading room. New collections are digitized and made available to the public regularly.

To learn more about the department’s process for digitizing and releasing records, as well as how to request access to other records, visit our Accessing Church History Library Collections page.