As they enter the Family History Library, users are faced by the huge painting behind the information desk which pictorially explains the reason that the concept of family is so important to the Church of Latter Day Saints, and why the Family History Library is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the outskirts of Temple Square: 'Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints believes that Jesus Christ, families, temples, and family history are interconnected. Family members can be united for eternity by keeping the sacred, Christ-centered covenants that they make in holy temples'.
The library was originally founded in 1894, with the specific aim of collecting and saving genealogical records, but the current, purpose-designed building was opened in 1985. It covers five floors, with the Caribbean records being stored in the first floor below ground, -1, within 'International' records. The core of the FHL collection is its microfilms, numbering up to 2.5 million reels.