slcoarchives Archives building, Archives staff, Records Management

2023 in Review

Now that 2023 has come to a close, we look back on all of the changes and accomplishments from the past year. Records Management and Archives went through huge changes in our small staff throughout 2023. 

Retirement: Hugh Johnson, Records Clerk

Hugh Johnson worked as a Records Clerk for Salt Lake County Records Management and Archives for 23 years, assisting county agencies with retention schedules, record requests, and many other tasks. Prior to working with us, Hugh worked for the Utah State Archives in their microfilm department. Having reached his 30 years service for government, he retired in May of 2023. We were devastated to hear that shortly after his retirement, Hugh passed away. We miss his generosity and steadfastness every day at the Archives. 

Moving On: Daniel Cureton, Digital and Reference Archivist

Daniel Cureton, Digital and Reference Archivist, left the Salt Lake County Archives for a new position in September of 2023. Daniel worked with us for a little over four years, and was invaluable in setting up our new digitization lab along with providing excellent reference services to the public and county agencies. Many of our patrons will miss his insight and dedication to the research process. Daniel’s skills and knowledge will now benefit the Los Alamos National Laboratory as their Scientific and Technical Information Librarian. 

New Employees 

As detailed in an earlier entry, we also welcomed two new employees in 2023. Trey Coleman, Records Management and Archives Specialist, started in August and Kelsie Flack, Digital and Reference Archivist, joined us in September. Both have already seamlessly fit in at Salt Lake County, and readers will hear much more from them in the future. 

More Records Online

We continued to digitize and upload county records to our online digital archives, including:

  • Tax Appraisal Cards (1970s) and Land Title Certificates to their online, searchable applications. 
  • Land Claim Record Books
  • Water Records Collection
  • Tax Assessment Rolls (1853-1881)
  • Additional Planning and Development records, including Board of Adjustment and Conditional Use Applications.

Additional records series will be digitized and uploaded to the online digital archives throughout 2024! 

slcoarchives Archives building, Archives staff

Slowly Reopening….

Dear Patrons,

Thank you for all of the requests for records that you have submitted to us since we closed due to the county-wide health directive issued by our Mayor. We are starting to slowly reopen our archives and staff will be able to begin working on your requests on June 1. Our reading room will remain closed to on-site patrons, but we will fill requests digitally.

We do ask for your patience as we work through the reference backlog. Our staff are working limited hours and will contact you when we begin working on your submitted request.

We appreciate your understanding as we all figure out how (and when) we might get back to a “normal” world. Please also check out our FAQs while you are waiting to see if they might provide an answer to your question.

Sincerely,

Salt Lake County Archives

slcoarchives Archives building, Archives staff

Archives Closed Until Further Notice

Due to a public health notice issued by Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, the Archives is closed for an indefinite period, effective immediately. Staff will not be able to fill any requests for records during this time.

If you would like to leave a request, please do so via email. Once it is safe for the public and for employees to reopen the Archives, we will reply to your request.

Meanwhile, please check out the records that we have available online, including Salt Lake County Birth Records from 1890-1915, Salt Lake County Death Records from 1847-1949, and Salt Lake County Marriage Applications and Licenses for 1887-1904 were just put online recently!

We also have online exhibits, including our Ghosts of West Temple exhibit in two parts.

As always, we appreciate your understanding and patience during this time, and hope that everyone stays safe and sane.

slcoarchives Archives building, Archives staff

Archives Reading Room Update

In order to protect the health of our patrons and employees during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) spread throughout our communities, the archives is closed to the public and agencies until further notice. Due to a current staff shortage, we will not be able to fill requests until March 30. We will make every effort to fill requests after that time via email and other online services, but please be aware that there may be a delay in our response time. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

slcoarchives Archives building, Archives staff

Updated Research Room Hours…and the Earthquake

Due to the corona virus, we have chosen to close the Salt Lake County Archives research room to on-site researchers for an indefinite period. We will continue to monitor requests via email and telephone, and send records digitally or via the mail whenever possible. Please note that there may be a delay in receiving a reply from us during this time. We are doing our best to try to keep everyone healthy and safe, while still filling your records requests. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

As you know, there was a 5.7 earthquake yesterday morning that caused damage throughout the Salt Lake valley. Our building was very close to the epicenter, but fortunately we received minimal damage. Drawers in map cases came open, one metal shelf is leaning, and part of a book spine decided to fling itself on to the floor, rather randomly. County Facilities staff will be out to do a thorough inspection of our walls and foundation, and archives staff will work on securing all boxes and volumes. We consider ourselves very lucky, this time.

slcoarchives Archives building, Archives staff

Please Note our Limited Research Room Hours

Due to the corona virus outbreak across our communities, the Salt Lake County Archives will have limited appointment availability in our research room. We will be working with each patron to fulfill record requests digitally via email and Dropbox when possible. Please call us at 385-468-0820 or email us at archives@slco.org to discuss options to receive records.

You may also want to check out the Salt Lake County page listing county facilities that are now closed, CDC updates, and FAQs about the virus.

Thank you for your patience, and we hope that everyone stays safe and healthy.