The Discovery Center offers guests interactive experiences. Some of these experiences include “Picture My Heritage,” “Compare-a-Face,” “All About Me” and “My Famous Relatives.”

Glee and Larry Petersen are the co-directors of the FamilySearch Center. They are longtime residents of Cache Valley and are service missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

“I think that will just attract all ages of people, and I think this place will just take off when people realize it’s here,” Glee Petersen said.

In addition to the 13 interactive touch screens of the Discovery Center, the facility offers 33 computers for guests to use as well as a computer lab that can support a group of up to 18 people. The FamilySearch Center offers free monthly classes in the computer lab. The dates and times of each class can be found on their website at familysearch.org/en/.

The facility also bolsters multiple tools for digitizing old photos, texts, film, negatives or even audio recordings. Using the equipment, guests can take these physical memories and convert them into a digital version to preserve them. The digital version can be attached to a FamilySearch account for other family members and future generations to see.

“Over the years, CDs become obsolete, tapes become obsolete — any kind, rather it be reel to reel, eight millimeter, 35 millimeter, whatever the case may be — they deteriorate. Whereas with a digitized form it’s there,” Larry said.

The digitizing tools can be reserved for up to two hours at a time on the FamilySearch Center’s website, but can also be used without a reservation if they are available.

Other amenities the new FamilySearch Center offers include a child play area, a snack area and an oral history room. The oral history room allows patrons to sit down and record short videos of themselves answering questions or telling stories.

“If you do a video history you can put that in there and your descendants will be able to see you; the way you look, the way you sound,” Larry said. “It is definitely something that will help your posterity know who you are, not just your grandma and your grandpa and your mom and your dad. Because we do things that we don’t ever talk about, and you can come in here and we’ll give you a list of questions and you can do a five-minute quick video.”

While the FamilySearch Center is operated by missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the center wants people to know everyone is welcome to come and use any of the facilities. The center recommends setting up a FamilySearch account beforehand so that you can start right away when you arrive.

“When people learn about their past, when they learn about the people in their past, it helps them connect with them,” Glee said. “I think it almost helps you be a better person when you learn the stories of their courage and their fortitude.”

“We’ve been blessed to have a large family,” Larry said. “Right now, we’ve got one great grandchild. She’s getting to know us, but if we don’t put anything in FamilySearch, then when we’re gone, we’re gone. The others will not know us.”

Those who would like to visit the facility can do so at 165 E 2200 N in North Logan. You can also visit familysearch.org/en/wiki/Logan_Utah_FamilySearch_Center to learn more about the facility and to plan your visit.