Beginnings

(last updated 01 Mar 2003)

To better understand how and why the Provo Utah South Family History Center grows like it does, the reader must first learn where we started, what our initial goals were, and where our FHC is now.

Starting Point:

When I was called as Director in August 1997 and first walked into our FHC, this is what I saw:

• A mostly-bare room, 17' x 19', with a walk-in closet roughly 5'x10'.  This room was new to us:  During the remodeling of our meeting house, the Stake President had been inspired to move the FHC from its tiny room to this spacious one.  We refer to that historic moment as the time when our FHC came "out of the closet."
• Two electrical outlets -- both on the South wall -- and no phone jack.
• Two banquet tables holding one working 286 computer, a second 286 with no hard drive, and a 386 which couldn't run the FamilySearch software.
• Two printers; an ancient, 9-pin dot-matrix and an old, non-working HP LaserJet Series II.
• Locked in a storage unit across town was a microfilm cabinet with the standard issue fiche.
• One working microfilm reader.
• One working microfiche reader, and three others so badly broken they would never again be usable.
• Two 4-drawer filing cabinets.
• A wooden desk with a single 20" x 12" x 4" drawer.
• The closet, the desk, both file cabinets, and the microfilm cabinet were all locked, and nobody had keys to any of them.  All the film, fiche, software, and manuals were in the locked film cabinet and closet.
• A huge, ancient Sharp photocopier.  It had no paper tray, receiving tray, or manual.  It looked like something out of a Jules Verne novel.

Initial Goals:

Having taught classes as a Teacher's Assistant at the Brigham Young University Family History Computer Lab -- which has over 20 networked computers -- these are the items I decided we should obtain:

• Six FamilySearch computers, and six sets of FamilySearch CD-ROMs.  These would allow us to train groups of 12 people at a time, which would mean:
  1. I could train the Family History Center staff;
  2. Susan Crane, the Stake Family History Consultant, could train the Ward Family History Consultants;
  3. Ward Family History Consultants, once trained, could train groups of Elders, Young Women, High Priests, Relief Society members, Scouts, and Sunday School students. 
  4. When every stake member had access to training, genealogy and temple work in the stake would explode.
• A microfilm reader/printer.  This would prompt members to do original research on microfilmed records, for it would allow them to finally photocopy the wonderful church records, censuses, wills, diaries, obituaries, military pensions, and other records they would find.  As they researched original records, they would grow as genealogists, compiling ever more valuable records for their families.
• Finding aids: the valuable books and CD-ROMs that help genealogists discover and locate the original records they need to search for their ancestors.
• A staff of at least 30 individuals, who could keep the FHC running 20 hours a week.

At that time, the FHC had a staff of zero, and its $25 annual budget had been overspent by $10.  In light of these challenges, I decided to allow myself a year to get the abovementioned items.

Growth:

These are some of the ways in which the FHC grew from August 1997 to December 1998.  It is important to note that this growth occurred during a period when we had budgets of $25 (1997) and $500 (1998).  As per Salt Lake's guidelines, no hardware was purchased with FHC funds, and no donations were solicited.

• Computers rose from 3 to 7.  As of December 1998, there were 4 FamilySearch computers and 3 sets of CDs.  Two more computers would be added in 1999.
• Film and fiche readers rose from 2 to 5. 
• Printers rose from 2 to 7.
• Administration grew from 1 to 16, with specialists covering varied aspects of operations.
• Staff rose from 1 to 40.
• Patron hours rose from 15 per month to 179 per month. (These figures are from March 1998).
• Increased efficiency -- FHC expenditures dropped from $.73 to $.18 per patron hour.
• FHC's success rallied stake leadership to raise FHC annual budget from $25 to $500 to $1750.

Hopefully, this view of  the Provo Utah South Family History Center's beginnings, its initial goals, and its first year's progress will help the reader to see the similarities between her own FHC and ours.  Knowing that Provo South started from meager beginnings should lend hope to Directors of new and dormant FHCs:  If Provo South did it, so can you.