About the Merrill-Cazier Library at Utah State University
The Merrill-Cazier Library at Utah State University houses many important collections for Mormon Studies. With over 1,000 manuscripts and 100,000 books, the Merrill-Cazier Library and is “[o]ne of the largest repositories of Mormon materials outside of the LDS Church History Library and Brigham Young University.”[1] One of the most notable collections are the papers of Leonard J. Arrington, sometimes referred to as “the dean of Mormon History.” The library has recently published a research guide on Mormonism to help scholars navigate their holdings pertaining to Mormon Studies.
Visiting the Library
The Merrill-Cazier Library’s hours can be found here.
What Researchers Should Know
- The special collections and archives reading room has more limited hours which can be found here.
- The library utilizes their own catalog as well Archives West, which is a consortium of collections from regional libraries and institutions.
- Contact the history and religion subject librarian for help navigating collections related to Mormon Studies.
Utilizing the Library Digitally
Many sources in the library’s collections are digitized and available electronically in high resolution. Under their digital collections you can find select items from the Leonard J. Arrington papers, resources on Brigham Young College, as well as the Northern Utah Mormon Food Storage Fieldwork Collection. The library also has a robust conglomeration of digital exhibits including relevant Mormon Studies exhibits. The process of adding more collections online is ongoing.
Other Helpful Resources
The digital commons site for Utah State University contains all theses and dissertations written at the University. Because of the presence of an endowed chair of Mormon Studies, many of the theses and dissertations are Mormon Studies related. The USU’s digital commons site uploads all theses and dissertations pertaining to Mormonism from across the country to the Mormon Studies commons site.
Important Collections
As noted above, the most important holding pertaining to Mormon Studies at the Merrill-Cazier Library is the collection of the Leonard J. Arrington papers. However, there are also collections relating to Mormon support for the Equal Rights Amendment, as well as primary sources from individuals and organizations that are sometimes labeled “Anti-Mormon,” such as the papers of Ed Decker. Below is a list that represents some of the library’s most key collections:
- The Leonard J. Arrington Papers, 1839 – 1999
- S. George Ellsworth papers, 1916-1997
- Mormon diaries, 1820-1936
- Helen Mar Kimball Whitney Papers, 1841-1900
- Mormons for ERA, 1977-1983
- Papers of J. Edward Decker, 1978 – 1992
[1] Mormonism: Guide to Materials and Resources, https://libguides.usu.edu/MormonismGuide.