Linnea’s Tips for Visiting the Salt Lake City Family History Library:
>> Saturday, June 16, 2007
1. Bring your laptop: The library was testing free Wi-Fi while I was there this week. Hopefully they keep that. It was so wonderful to be able to camp out in one spot all day and not have to run back and forth to the computers to check the catalog.
2. Bring a laptop lock. You can chain it to your spot and not have to worry about it if you go to get something off the shelves.
3. Use the lockers. They cost 10 Cents. It is great for locking up your stuff while you go to lunch or take a break.
4. Use the Cafeteria in the Church Office Building (about 2 blocks away). It is open from 11:30 to 1:30. I think it is also open for Breakfast. You can get a pass from the information desk on the main floor in the library. The day we went they had Prime Rib for $6. We got there at 12:30 and it was already gone, so we had smothered burrito and carrot cake instead. We weren’t hungry the rest of the day. They also have someone playing the grand piano from 12 to 1. You can also get homemade soup in a bread bowl for $2.50. The salad bar was 25 cents an ounce. A beef enchilada plate was about $3.75. And you don’t have to tip. It is the best option for lunch since Dee’s is closed, and Crossroads plaza has been torn down. That leaves your only options for food the break room machines (great selection of food for a vending break room), JB’s next door (not that great), the Temple Square Dining (can get pricy if you do it more than once), and the sorry excuse for a food court at ZCMI center (McDonalds, Sbarro, Long John Silvers, Mrs. Fields Cookies, and some other small time random foods).
5. Bring a USB jump drive, thumb drive, or whatever you call it. You can scan from microfilm or books for free. You just need to sign up for an hour and the copy desk window. It was fantastic to keep everything electronic. Otherwise copies from books are 5 cents and copies from Microfilm at 23 Cents. The book scanner is slower than copying the pages, but the Microfilm scanner is just as fast as making copies.
6. Check out the schedule of free classes they offer while you are there. It is usually published online for the current month. They announce them during the day which is helpful since you can get lost in the work.
7. Useful office supplies: notebook paper, Research logs (the sell them there for 3 cents a page), highlighters, pencils, Post-It note, Post-It tabs (for marking pages in books to copy/scan), a folder for each family you are researching, and a magnifying glass.
8. Order any films that are in the vault a few days before you arrive (if you are only staying one or two days), and early in your trip if you are staying longer. They take a day or two for them to retrieve.
9. Copy or Scan the cover page of every book you make a copy out of and attach it to the copies (or scans) you made. This will help you document where you found the information and will help you find it again if you need more info from the same book.
10. Take some time and enjoy the surrounding world. The brochures in the lobby will give you some excellent ideas for what to do on a break or evening.
