David O. McKay Diary Excerpts Now Available as a Digital Resource

University of Virginia, Mormon Studies Program

As of March 1, 2024, excerpts from David O. McKay’s diaries can be viewed as a digital resource on our Mormon Studies website. These excerpts were manually copied and organized by Dr. Gregory Prince in preparation for his book, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, co-written with William Robert Wright. Scholars and general readers alike are invited to explore firsthand accounts and reflections from a former president and modern leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

The diary entries are organized alphabetically by subject, with nearly 100 topics to choose from. Exploring the entries by subject is an excellent way to understand themes important to the modernization of the Church, as well as helpful when navigating over 40,000 pages of primary source material.

The McKay diary excerpts are the first set in a larger series of content – notes, interviews, quotations, and more – captured by Dr. Prince as research for his books. With Dr. Prince’s blessing, we are posting that content to our website as part of our mission to facilitate scholarly research and deepen public understanding of Mormonism. 

The next set will consist of more diary entries, this time by Leonard J. Arrington, an official Church Historian referred to as the “Dean of Mormonism.” Dr. Prince captured the entries for his book, Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History.

The physical, typewritten McKay diaries are currently available for research at UVA’s library. Dr. Prince donated the volumes to our Mormon Studies program in 2021 as part of a much larger collection specializing in 20th-century LDS history.