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President Spencer W. Kimball was one of the great advocates and examples of keeping a personal journal.

For the first time, the late Church president’s own journals are now open and available for public viewing, according to a Church History Library blog post.

President Kimball’s journals will be a valuable addition to Church history records, said Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy who serves as the Church historian and recorder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Digitized images of the journals are accessible in the Church History Catalog without any transcription or interpretation under call number MS 21541.

While the collection is open and accessible to the public, visitors must log in with a free Church account to view the digitized images due to copyrighted material contained in the collection, primarily newspaper clippings.

President Kimball continued journaling after his call as President of the Church in 1973. As the demands of serving as Church President mounted, however, his journaling output slowed, and he ultimately stopped keeping his own journal in early 1977. During this time and onward, his personal secretary, D. Arthur Haycock, kept an office journal which is not part of this collection. President Kimball’s son Edward L. Kimball took notes from the office journal for the years 1977 to 1981 which he added to his father’s journal. Edward’s additions to his father’s journal include his own commentary, as well, sometimes in square brackets. Thus, beginning in 1977, entries in the Spencer W. Kimball journals consist of Edward’s notes rather than President Kimball’s personal journaling.

While the collection is open and accessible to the public, visitors must log in with a free Church account to view the digitized images due to copyrighted material contained in the collection, primarily newspaper clippings.

IHAQ wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:34 am

President Spencer W. Kimball was one of the great advocates and examples of keeping a personal journal.

For the first time, the late Church president’s own journals are now open and available for public viewing, according to a Church History Library blog post.

Everybody Wang Chung wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 27, 2023 5:11 am

I logged on to my church account and took a gander. The first 68 pages are just old photocopies of tithings slips and checks. The remainder of the 357 pages appear to be old (barely legible) photo copies of typed pages written by his secretary or biographer (Spencer W. Kimball is referred to in the third person).

So far, nothing much to see. I was expecting his actual journal that he wrote himself. Maybe I'm not looking at the correct journal?

After meeting with my counselors for an hour this morning from eight until nine o’clock, we went over to the temple and met with all of the General Authorities in the monthly meeting we hold together.

Returned to the office for a few minutes and then went over to Temple Square for the dedication services of the new Visitors Center South, which was scheduled to commence at 3:00 p.m.

The services lasted for about an hour, after which we returned to the office where I worked at my desk until six o’clock.

This morning at seven o’clock by prior arrangement met in the upper room of the Salt Lake Temple with all of the General Authorities to consider with them the matter of giving the Priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church.

After our meeting returned to the office and released the following letter concerning giving the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church: (See copy of letter.)

Immediately following the release of this announcement the telephones started to ring and rang continuously the balance of the afternoon. People, members and nonmembers, called from around the world to learn if what they had heard on the radio and TV was true.

The First Presidency met with the Presiding Bishopric at 10:15 a.m. which was much later than usual due to our meeting in the Temple.

At 11:00 a.m. the First Presidency met with a Mr. Ron Smith of Newsmaking International.

This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.

Had appointments with several of the General Authorities this afternoon on matters they needed to discuss with me. Also my counselors and I met with the Missionary Committee and then later with Brother Heber G. Wolsey and Wendell J. Ashton.

It was a very busy day today and did not get away from the office until six o’clock tonight.

Preparing President Kimball’s journals for public release was a complex process, as his day-to-day work dealt with confidential subjects which appear in journal entries, like meetings with individuals in private settings—counseling sessions, for instance—and sacred topics. Additionally, the newspaper clippings that President Kimball added to his journal remain under copyright. Thus, in preparing the Spencer W. Kimball journals for public release, employees of the Church History Department reviewed all entries for content that is sacred, copyrighted, or could potentially violate someone’s right to privacy. Due to the huge quantity of journal pages, it has taken several years since the journals’ donation for them to be ready for access.

This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.

IHAQ wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:09 pm

This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.

Why was Dr Franklin's skin colour noteworthy to President Kimball, but not President Gardner's?

IHAQ wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:09 pm

This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.

Why was Dr Franklin's skin colour noteworthy to President Kimball, but not President Gardner's?