Utah State University and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appointed a joint committee November 9 to resolve the ownership of papers donated to Merrill Library’s special collections and archives department by the family of Leonard J. Arrington, who died in 1999. Arrington had taught economics at USU before his tenure as historian for the church from 1972 to 1982. His family had given 658 boxes of his papers, books, and artifacts to the university with the understanding that they would be open to the public.
However, in October church officials examined the papers—lauded as one of the most important public collections of early pioneer and Utah history—and insisted that it owned at least 126 of the boxes, forcing the university to sequester them until the claim was investigated. Among the items questioned are minutes of the meetings held by the original Council of the Twelve; and letterbooks, journals, and letters by or to church President Brigham Young, according to the November 10 Deseret News.
A church statement said members of the committee have agreed not to talk publicly about their deliberations until a satisfactory conclusion was reached.
Posted November 19, 2001.