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Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary |
Summary InformationAbstract
At a Glance
ArrangementArrangementThis collection is organized in one series arranged roughly by topic.
DescriptionScope and ContentsThis collection contains materials compiled by the Missionary Research Library that document mission work in North America during the 19th and 20th centuries, including material pertaining to Christianity, churches, and religion; committees and conferences; reports and bulletins; education; three-dimensional objects and photographs; and subject files.
Burke Library record group:Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL10, North America Using the CollectionBurke Library at Union Theological Seminary Conditions Governing AccessThis collection is open for research. Onsite storage. Conditions Governing UseSome 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 CitationItem description, MRL10: Missionary Research Library collection on mission work in North America, 1819-1963, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York. Immediate Source of AcquisitionThis collection was assembled from records in the Missionary Research Library before its 1976 closure. These records were accessioned by the Burke Library at the time of the MRL's closure in 1976. About the Finding Aid / Processing InformationColumbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary Processing InformationMaterials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The finding aid was created by Brigette Kamsler in 2014 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2021. Revision Description2021-09-21 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman. Subject HeadingsThe subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives. All links open new windows. Subject
History / Biographical NoteBiographical / HistoricalThe 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. |