Connie Lenzen has another great article in The Columbian, Genealogy Today: Family History Centers give searchers a hand (Clark County, Washington), about how valuable Family History Centers are, just what their relation is to the Family History Library in Utah, and what all is available at your local Family History Center.
Excerpt from the article:
Family History Centers are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
The library is the largest genealogical library in the United States, with more than 2 million microfilms and hundreds of thousands of books.
The Salt Lake library is the place where beginning, intermediate and advanced genealogists go to find vital records, wills, land records, probate records, cemetery records, family histories, newspapers, obituaries, and military records for every state and for most foreign countries.
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Not everyone can afford to take a trip to the library in Salt Lake City. Even if you can manage a trip, you still want to access those records between your visits. You have that option with the Family History Centers.
I don’t think many people realize just how close these are, and how easy they are to use.