The 52,000-square-foot building, which opened June 21, replaces a facility one-quarter its size.
Among genealogists, the Mormon church's Family History Library in Salt Lake City is considered the mother lode of information, with millions of documents available online or through local branches.
The next tier is occupied by public libraries in Dallas, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Ft. Wayne, Ind. and Independence - a one-time frontier town known as the jumping off spot for westward expansion.
The library regularly attracts visitors from as far afield as Hawaii, with those conducting more extensive research staying in local hotels.
One aspect of the genealogy library hasn't changed: Unlike many similar collections, almost all of the plat maps, census records, marriage licenses and other documents are accessible directly by the public, not locked away in storage.
Information Visit www.
mcpl.lib.mo.us/genlh/mgc.htm.
