Have you ever paused to check out the rotating exhibits at the library?
The latest exhibit has brought a little bit of the Salt Lake Temple to Provo.
The HBLL is filled with artifacts and items that have been held downstairs for quite some time. However, it has acquired a new historical artifact this January.
The exhibit "How Firm a Foundation: The Salt Lake Temple Renovation" celebrates and investigates the work that has been put into its last seven years of construction.
The crowning jewel of the exhibit is the original Angel Moroni trumpet.
"So this is the original Angel Moroni trumpet that was placed on the temple, and it's been on the temple ever since until now," Paul Robbins, HBLL academic librarian, said.
Statues of the popular Book of Mormon figure, Angel Moroni, were historically placed at the top of temples until recent years.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lent the Salt Lake City trumpet to BYU for this exhibit.
"If you were to handle it, it's very light. It's copper with gold plating. Some of the plating is still on it," Robbins said.
Though the trumpet is behind glass, the rest of the exhibit is highly interactive.
"This is actually one of the most hands-on exhibits that we've done. You see too often, 'Please don't touch, please don't touch,'" Eric Howard, HBLL exhibits manager, said.
Each feature, from earthquake simulations to color-coded maps and augmented reality, is a result of high level team work from various departments in the library.
"So if you tap that, you can see the ground moving all around and the sub-foundation moving. But the temple stays still, it helps people visualize things that are really hard to understand," HBLL engineering and technology librarian, David Pixton, said.
Various BYU students also participated in bringing the wonders of the Salt Lake Temple to Provo.
"Any time we have a crazy idea, we say 'Hey, is this possible?' and they almost always say yes," student designer Daniel Sannar said.
However, visitors have a limited amount of time to witness the Angel Moroni trumpet in the library.
"It's right here, you can be six inches from it, and how many people have gotten to do that for the last hundred years?" Roger Layton, HBLL communications manager, said.
The trumpet is now considered a historic artifact. When it's returned to the Church of Jesus Christ, it will be featured in the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City.
The Angel Moroni trumpet will be on display until the end of January.
