Teaching is regarded as one of the most important callings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Whether Church members teach in the home, at church on Sundays, at midweek activities or some combination of those venues, resources to bring variety to lessons is always welcome. Some of the most popular visual aids are pictures.
LDS meetinghouse libraries have long held a supply of 11-by-17-inch prints to be used in lessons, but those are being phased out in favor of more practical options. Here’s a rundown of teachers’ new and improved options.
LDS.org Media Library
The LDS.org Media Library was created in 2011 as an online repository for Church media, including pictures, videos, audio recordings and more.
These pictures, videos and audio recordings can be downloaded to devices for later use or can be streamed from the website. All images are royalty-free, so people can download, edit, share and use them for “personal, church-related, noncommercial use.”
The LDS.org Media Library is organized topically, with a wide variety of categories including those like “Bible Images—The Life of Jesus Christ” and “Temples,” as well as more broad categories like “Mountains” and “Education.” Images specifically for use in Church meetings are also available, with entire image and video categories for Primary (including coloring pages) and Youth (including videos about the annual Mutual theme).
Printed pictures
Physical prints are still available in distribution centers and online at store.lds.org, though not in the 11-by-17 size. Large 16-by-20-inch prints that work well for framing are available, as are 5-by-7-inch prints. Some prints in 8.5-by-11 are also available.
The LDS.org Media Library also has a category of high-quality images for print.
Gospel Art Book
The “Gospel Art Book” is a spiral-bound collection of 137 pictures, most of which are 8.5-by-11-inches, but with some that are smaller. The book includes art from scripture stories and Church history events as well as pictures representing gospel living—an excellent resource for any home, especially one with children.