The church's services touch on 2 billion people. Bills said the church makes this information available as a public service. Making it accessible via the Web expands that service. For more than a century the LDS Church has encouraged its members to uncover their ancestors. It is a part of the church's mission.
Members believe ancestors can be saved through performing ordinances for the dead.
With that in mind, the Church began collecting immense numbers of genealogical records in 1894. They made two copies one for Granite Vault, located in a Salt Lake area canyon, and another for the Salt Lake City Family History Library. The current Web site includes a catalog of the extensive holdings in the library. Lower said the online catalog will be the most useful feature on the site. One-third of the time you spend in the library is searching the catalog.