Skip to main content

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1999 - 2005

Administrative History

The Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History was a research institute at Brigham Young University responsible for facilitating the scholarly study of Mormon history campus-wide.

In 1999 the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History was renamed the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History. The purpose of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History was to pursue the scholarly study of the history, people, institutions, and culture of the Latter-day Saints. Faculty members taught courses in history, church history, and other disciplines related to their fields of expertise. The institute also provided limited support for research and publication to faculty. The Joseph Smith Papers Project was among the many research ventures undertaken by this institute. Institute directors included Ronald K. Esplin (2000-2003) and Jill Mulvay Derr (2003-2005). In 2005 most of the scholars employed by the institute were transferred to the Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah to continue work on the Joseph Smith Papers Project Project. With their departure, the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History was abolished.

Citation:
BYU organizational history project, Mar. 8, 2012: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, 1999-2005; facilitate scholarly study of Mormon history; 1999 renamed from Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History; teaches courses in history, other disciplines of expertise, limited support for research and publication; initially developed the Joseph Smith Papers Project; research venture; directors, Ronald K. Esplin (2000-2003) and Jill Mulvay Derr (2003-2005); under direction of FHSS; 2005 transferred to LDS Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City, institute abolished)

Found in 7 Collections and/or Records:

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History administrative records, 1989-2007

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8009 Series 2 Sub-Series 1
Scope and Contents Contains administrative records for the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute, including financial records, governance records, and strategy records. Financial records include budget records, a 2004 audit, information on the Mormon History Trust Fund, and fundraising records. Governance records include records from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences conference, minutes from meetings with the college dean, correspondence with the dean and assistant deans, especially with Dean David...
Dates: 1989-2007
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 8009, Jill Mulvay Derr papers / Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History correspondence, 1992-2005

 Sub-Series — Carton 2: Series 1; Series 2 [Barcode: 31197233286472], Folder: 46-52
Identifier: MSS 8009 Series 2 Sub-Series 6
Scope and Contents Contains both internal and external correspondence of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute on topics including publications, symposia, BYU Studies, the Eliza R. Snow project, outreach plans, and Executive Committee correspondence. Also includes Richard Bushman correspondence, chair of the Advisory Committee, relating to symposia and faculty, as well as Derr's correspondence relating to paper publications, symposia, copyrights, personal correspondence, and the transition following the...
Dates: 1992-2005
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 8009, Jill Mulvay Derr papers / Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History faculty files, 1987-2005

 Sub-Series — Carton 1: Series 2 [Barcode: 31197233286480], Folder: 6-46
Identifier: MSS 8009 Series 2 Sub-Series 2
Scope and Contents

Contains files for the faculty of the Joseph Smith Fielding Institute, including meeting minutes and memos, newsletters and handouts, and correspondence. Materials cover faculty retreats, productivity reports, lists of books and publications made by the faculty, and staffing and hiring records, 1987-2005.

Dates: 1987-2005
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 8009, Jill Mulvay Derr papers / Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records, 1977-2008

 Series
Identifier: MSS 8009 Series 2
Scope and Contents

Contains records of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute collected by Derr, including administrative records and faculty files. Also includes records on symposia, funding, and grants, and materials for various special projects carried out by the institute. Also contains correspondence, records on BYU Studies and Women's History Inititative Team. Includes four DVDs from a lecture series in 2004, 1977-2008.

Dates: 1977-2008
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 8009, Jill Mulvay Derr papers

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records on Women History Initiative Team, 1977-2008

 Sub-Series — Carton 3: Series 1; Series 2 [Barcode: 31197233286498], Folder: 6-59
Identifier: MSS 8009 Series 2 Sub-Series 7
Scope and Contents Contains materials related to the Women's History Initiative Team (WIT) of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute. Includes meeting minutes, strategy notes, correspondence and memorandums, programs and schedules for seminars and symposia, faculty retreat records, published articles, poetry, information on summer fellowships and photographs from a reunion, records on the Mormon Women's History Course 390 R, records from the Eliza R. Snow film project, and lists of dissertations and published...
Dates: 1977-2008
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 8009, Jill Mulvay Derr papers / Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History special project records, 1995-2005

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8009 Series 2 Sub-Series 4
Scope and Contents Contains records for special projects carried out by the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute, including records on an Eliza R. Snow documentary, Mormon Studies leadership awards and symposia, a Yale Conference entitled God, Humanity and Revelation: Perspectives from Mormon Philosophy and History, international outreach efforts, agendas and proposals of the Council on Religious Endeavors (CORE), coordination with the Brigham Young University Special Collections and church archives, Mormon...
Dates: 1995-2005
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 8009, Jill Mulvay Derr papers / Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History symposia records, 1987-2005

 Sub-Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8009 Series 2 Sub-Series 3
Scope and Contents Contains records for various symposia hosted by the Joseph Smith Fielding Institute, including brochures and fliers, programs and schedules, correspondence and memorandums, symposia proposals, calls for papers, and speaker biographies. Seminars cover topics including Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, the Restoration, and Latter-day Women. Also includes applications for faculty fellowships as well as summer fellows biographies. In addition, contains records for the National Endowment for the...
Dates: 1987-2005
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 8009, Jill Mulvay Derr papers / Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History records

Filtered By

  • Subject: Research institutes -- Utah -- Provo X

Additional filters:

Subject
Letters 5
Memorandums 3
Minutes (Records) 3
Publications 3
Financial records 2
∨ more
Programs 2
Awards 1
Brochures 1
Budgets 1
College teachers -- Utah -- Provo 1
Conference materials 1
Curriculum vitae 1
DVDs 1
Latter Day Saint churches -- Congresses 1
Latter Day Saint women 1
Latter Day Saint women -- Congresses 1
Newsletters 1
Notes 1
Personnel records 1
Records 1
Schedules (Time plans) 1
Women in Latter Day Saint churches 1
+ ∧ less
 

Staff Interface | Send Feedback or Report a Problem

More information about Special Collections including Hours, Services, Events, and Exhibits can be found at lib.byu.edu/special-collections.

The BYU Library aims to create descriptions of collections that are inclusive and support an “environment of belonging.” If you encounter language in finding aids, catalog records, or collection descriptions that you find offensive or believe to be harmful, we invite your feedback at librarydescription@byu.edu.