Missionary Research Library collection on mission work in Africa, 1903 -- 1972
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Bib ID:
- 11078404 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Missionary Research Library (New York, N.Y.)
- Repository:
- Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
- Physical Description:
- 4.25 linear feet (4.25 linear feet; 9 boxes)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
-
This collection is open for research.
The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1-5, 7-9. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.
Description
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials compiled by the Missionary Research Library that document foreign mission work in Africa during the early and mid 20th century, including material pertaining to committees, conferences, education, churches, Christianity, religion, missions, missionaries, and other subjects and topics in Africa. Formats include reports, minutes, papers, photographs, and a drum.
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Missionary Research Library collection on mission work in Africa, 1903 -- 1972
This series contains materials compiled by the Missionary Research Library that document foreign mission work in Africa during the early and mid 20th century, including material pertaining to committees, conferences, education, churches, Christianity, religion, missions, missionaries, and other subjects and topics in Africa. Formats include reports, minutes, papers, photographs, and a drum.
Burke Library record group:
Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL1, Africa
Arrangement
This collection is organized in one series arranged by topic and format.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1-5, 7-9. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.
Conditions Governing Use
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, MRL1: Missionary Research Library collection on mission work in Africa, 1903-1972, box #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This 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 Information
Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
Processing Information
Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The collection was organized following the "More Product, Less Process" method, utilizing box level description. The clips and staples were also left in the folders. 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 Description
2021-08-18 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.
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.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
All links open new windows.
| Place | ||
|---|---|---|
| Africa | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |
| Subject | ||
| Missions -- Africa -- Sources | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |