Missionary Research Library collection on mission work in Latin America, 1911 -- 1974
Collection context
- Creator:
- Missionary Research Library (New York, N.Y.)
- Abstract:
- This collection contains materials compiled by the Missionary Research Library that document mission work in Latin America during the 20th century, including materials on Christianity, evangelism, education, Indians, organizations, conferences, geographic locations, imperialism and labor conditions.
- Extent:
- 7.75 linear feet (7.75 linear feet; 13 boxes (including 2 OS))
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains materials compiled by the Missionary Research Library that document mission work in Latin America during the 20th century, including materials on Christianity, evangelism, education, Indians, organizations, conferences, geographic locations, imperialism and labor conditions.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Missionary Research Library was created by John R. Mott in 1914 after the World Missionary Conference, held in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1910. It was created to be a resource for missionaries and to document the missionary movement, and was initially funded by John D. Rockefeller. It was located at the Madison Avenue headquarters of the Foreign Missionary Conference of North America. By the 1920s, funding was becoming scarcer; therefore it was moved to the Brown Tower of the Union Theological Seminary, New York City in 1929. The Library was an important center of information and research. Active missionaries would consult the material of the Missionary Research Library while on furlough. Much of the Library's success was due to the director and librarian, Charles H. Fahs. Upon his retirement in 1948, the MRL's financial difficulties continued until it was finally integrated as one with the Burke Library's collections in 1967. In 2004, the Burke Library was fully integrated with the Columbia University Library System.
The majority of Christians in Latin America identify as Catholic, as Catholicism arrived over five centuries ago. Protestant missions in Latin America began in the mid-1800s with missionaries arriving from North America and Europe. In 1910, the World Missionary Conference was held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Although the slogan for the 1910 meeting was, "the evangelization of the world is our generation," Latin America was not considered a mission field as the Catholics had already proclaimed the area Christian. Others did not agree with this standpoint, and organized the Committee of Cooperation in Latin America, which supported a group of Protestants to hold a conference in Panama in 1916. It was after this conference that Protestant mission work in Latin America became more important. The spreading of the gospels in Latin America is also credited with the rise in social justice and other considerations. The 160,000 Protestants in 1916 has grown to over 50 million. today.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research.
Onsite storage.
- Terms of access:
-
Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.
- Preferred citation:
-
Item description, MRL 9: Missionary Research Library collection on mission work in Latin America, 1911-1974, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers must book an appointment at least 5 business days in advance to view special collections material in the reading room. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to one item per hour of appointment time.
- Contact:
- burke@library.columbia.edu