The Church History Department stores its collections in facilities located around the world and is committed to making its collections available to the public through physical and electronic means without compromising information that is sacred, confidential, private, or otherwise in need of protection for legal, ethical, or religious reasons. Protections may be placed on items and collections by statutes or regulations, the creators or donors of the records, the Church’s ecclesiastical leaders, and Church History staff after careful review. The online Church History Catalog indicates protections for specific items and collections.

In administering access, the Church History Department follows these general definitions:

Sacred: Items that provide specific information about temple rites and ceremonies or other sacred matters that have not been officially approved for release. Sacred items may in some instances include privately produced records, published items, art, and artifacts.

Private: Items containing information that is protected by applicable privacy laws.

Confidential: Records produced in the course of Church business that takes place in non-public settings. Confidential records are primarily found in official Church records and in privately created papers of General Authorities, Church officers, Church employees, ecclesiastical leaders, clerks, and others holding positions of trust.