The Shanghai Evening Post American Edition, Dec. 3, 1943, page 1. Credit to MRL 12: Foreign Missions Conference of North America Records, Series 2B, Box 33, Folder 9, The Burke Library Archives (Columbia University Libraries) at Union Theological Seminary, New York. The Committee on East Asia comprises a large part of the Area Committees […]
Foreign Missions Conference of North America (FMCNA) Records – Now Available
Little Boxes in the Archives – Completed FMCNA The records for the Foreign Missions Conference of North America (FMCNA), covering the years 1894-1968, are now available! This large MRL12 collection totaling 68 boxes (30.50 linear feet) comprise materials documenting inception and institutional proceedings of the organization. Established to create dialogue between missions-based action committees confronting […]
“These Are Bloody Times in Which We Live…”: The Journal of Mary Lewis Shedd
June 17, 1918 One of the first collections I processed at Burke was MRL2: Mary Lewis [Mrs. W. A.] Shedd Papers, 1918. This journal made an impact on me not just because of the first-hand account it provides, but also because this copy appears to be completely unique. The collection is comprised of a 42-page […]
Union in Dialogue
We will be cross-posting some of our entries to Union Theological Seminary's Union in Dialogue blog. Union in Dialogue is an ongoing discussion of what students at UTS find important: social analysis, interreligious dialogue, embodiment, poverty, and a number of other pressing topics. Our entries will be posted under the category "Unearthing Eloquence." Hope you take […]
Internship for the Uninitiated Archivist
Being one of the new fall interns here at the Burke Library, one of my first assignments is to write a blurb for the blog about my expectations for my upcoming semester. I am in my final year as a graduate student at Pratt Institute’s School of Information and Library Science, from which I will […]
“We will never forget this ride of terror”: Translating the Reports of German Missionaries to Cameroon Taken as Prisoners of War
Credit to: MRL1: German Missionaries in Cameroon Reports, The Burke Library Archives (Columbia University Libraries) at Union Theological Seminary, New York. One of the great benefits of interning at the Burke Library Archives last spring was the opportunity to fuse several of my skills in the various projects I undertook. One of these projects was […]
The Value of Ecumenical and Missionary Records
Credit to: WAB: Foreign Missions Conference of North America Records, The Burke Library Archives (Columbia University Libraries) at Union Theological Seminary, New York. I had the pleasure of working on the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Foreign Missions Conference of North America (FMCNA) collections this summer and the following highlights the materials that […]
A Lay Person’s Love-Hate Relationship with “More Product Less Process”
As a doctoral student, and specifically a student of ancient Near Eastern languages, I have learned to become increasingly detail oriented (read: anal retentive) as the years pass. The longer I study cuneiform, the smaller my handwriting gets and I have noticed certain OCD tendencies related to classification and organization sharpen in my “old age.” […]
The Messy Truth about Foreign Missions
Foreign missions. It's a pretty unpopular concept these days. Missionaries are associated with all the damage wrought by the project of subjugation, exploitation, displacement, and genocide of native peoples and cultures across the world. The criticisms are well-founded. Retrospect is a tricky thing though. History is often tainted by a touch of arrogance and a […]
New Intern Expectations
Technically speaking, this is the last internship I will ever do as a student. The more I think about it, the more I am stunned that this part of my life is (finally!) coming to an end. As part of my last semester concurrently earning my MLIS and Certificate in Archives and the Preservation of […]