In November our colleagues in Technical Services and Cataloging added 209 items to the Center for Restoration Studies, University Archives, and Rare Books collections. Among them are books, periodical issues (bound volumes and boxes of unbound issues), a few tracts and A/V items in various formats. Most are new to us but a handful are second copies. The work performed on some items reflects original cataloging, which is a tremendous contribution to knowledge about information resources from and about the Stone-Campbell Movement.
The Library in Daisy Hall. Jesse Sewell reads a book at a table surrounded by shelves of books.
Our goal is to build a comprehensive research-level collection of print materials by, for, and about the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. But beyond assembly and preservation, a collection should be discoverable by those who need the information. Collecting and preserving is only part of our task; those objects must be described and made available. Thanks to the close and careful work of our colleagues upstairs, who describe our holdings, these materials are now discoverable. By discoverable I mean a patron can utilize our online catalog (such as by searching by author, or title, or subject) to find these materials.
209 new items…cataloged, shelved, and ready for research: Continue reading →
In October our colleagues in Technical Services and Cataloging added 697 items to the Center for Restoration Studies, University Archives, and Rare Books collections. Among them are books, periodical issues (bound volumes and many boxes of unbound issues), a few tracts and dozens of A/V items in formats from cassette tapes to 8-tracks to LP albums. Most are new to us but a handful are second copies. The work performed on some items reflects original cataloging, which is a tremendous contribution to knowledge about information resources from and about the Stone-Campbell Movement.
The Library in Daisy Hall. Jesse Sewell reads a book at a table surrounded by shelves of books.
Our goal is to build a comprehensive research-level collection of print materials by, for, and about the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. But beyond assembly and preservation, a collection should be discoverable by those who need the information. Collecting and preserving is only part of our task; those objects must be described and made available. Thanks to the close and careful work of our colleagues upstairs, who describe our holdings, these materials are now discoverable. By discoverable I mean a patron can utilize our online catalog (such as by searching by author, or title, or subject) to find these materials.
697 new items…cataloged, shelved, and ready for research: Continue reading →
ACU Special Collections and Archives actively seeks materials from, by and about the Restoration Movement from its earliest days to the present. We hold books, periodicals, ephemera, photographs, audio and video recordings, archival materials and artifacts.
Books and periodicals: Ideally we will preserve one copy in as pristine a condition as we can locate. Where we have two copies, one will be available to researchers as a ‘use copy’ while the other is kept as a ‘preservation copy.’ We are always looking to 1) fill in gaps in our collection; 2) to acquire better-condition copies; and 3) acquire signed or inscribed copies. In outstanding cases we will retain additional signed or association copies.
Several first editions of the works of Alexander Campbell. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
Masthead, Gospel Advance, September 1919, vol. 1 no. 1. Edited and published by Price Billingsley. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
Ephemera and photographs: Printed for the moment then cast aside, ephemeral items open a window into our history that is, regrettably, seldom preserved. Broadsides, leaflets, posters, advertising cards, clippings and the like can help us understand moments that comprise our history. Photographs, portraits, snapshots, and slides document the moment without using words.
Campbell Street Church of Christ, Louisville, KY. 3 June 1923. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
Scrapbook, Box 1, Folder 1, Mable Fuchs Papers, 1920-1921. Center for Restoration Studies MS #445. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
Audio and Video Recordings: We estimate that we hold over 15,000 recordings in a variety of formats (from magnetic tape reels to phonograph records to cassettes to VCR tapes and DVDs). Listen below to Lynn Anderson’s sermon Ride the Wild Horses:
Listen below to Zelma Stroop remember David and Margaret Lipscomb:
Archival material: We currently house just under 490 collections of personal papers of ministers, evangelists, professors, editors and missionaries. Each set is as different as its creator. Some are rich in sermons or correspondence, others in manuscript materials and some contain records from congregations or organizations. Many have a little of everything. Congregational records include minutes books, selected bulletins, membership rosters, and directories.
Letter from Carl Ketcherside to Stanley Paregien, 11 February 1970. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
Letter of Recommendation for both G.W. Varner and A.V. Varner signed by the entire congregation. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
Artifacts: The iconic pulpit used by Thomas Campbell at Ahorey (Ireland) Presbyterian Church may be our most recognizable artifact. But we have communion ware from the 19th and early 20th centuries, a pew from the Madison, TN Church of Christ and artifacts from across the world from several missionaries. These items tell yet another side to the story.
Bed-sheet sized sermon chart on Heaven, ca. 1940s-1950s. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
Brass printing plates used in the production of Great Songs of the Church. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.
If you have materials like these you would like to donate, please contact Mac Ice, Director of Special Collections and Archives at mac.ice@acu.edu or (325) 674-2144. Mac will be pleased to discuss any aspect of the holdings and work of ACU Special Collections and Archives.
