Last week, the Burke Library staff collaborated with the Institute for Religion, Culture, & Public Life (IRCPL) to host a panel discussion on the role of water in religion and spiritual life in South Asia. “Water” was the 2nd event this year in IRCPL’s “Religion & Climate” series. Attendees from Columbia and Union Theological […]
Haptic Impressions in the Archives
Day 1: I gingerly wriggle the lid from the first of a dozen record cartons in the Alison Cheek Papers; greeted by a slathering of manila and jewel toned folders that hug swatches of lined paper, printed printed paper, heavy stock paper. Handfuls of leatherbound materials peek from the depths of the cardboard box. […]
“The Invention of World Religions” | an Evening with Prof. Tomoko Masuzawa
Where does the phrase “world religions” come from? Nearly 20 years ago, Prof. Tomoko Masuzawa’s book The Invention of World Religions (U. Chicago Press, 2005) set out to trace the trajectory of the concept in modern religious studies and comparative theology to its late-19th and early-20th century roots. Ever since, the book has played […]
Manuscript 49: From Agnietenberg to Zwolle, a Journey Through Time and Technology
Last semester, I had the privilege of participating in the interdisciplinary seminar “Introduction to Medieval Manuscripts,” led by Emily Runde and a team of experts including Susan Boynton, Christopher Baswell, Alexis Hagedorn, and Jeffrey Wayno, in which we embarked on an immersive journey into the world of medieval manuscripts and documents. From codicology and […]
“Black is a Church” Book Talk with Prof. Josef Sorett
The Burke was delighted to host our first large-scale public event in the Reading Room in several years — a reading and panel discussion on Nov. 1st with Dr. Josef Sorett, Dean of Columbia College and Vice President for Undergraduate Education at Columbia University, and Professor of Religion and African American and African Diaspora […]
Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Delores Sevena Williams: Portrait Blessing & Library Event
The Union Theological Seminary Class of 2019 raised funds to commission a new portrait of Dr. Delores Williams, which was finally completed and hung in the seminary this week, an occasion which we marked with great celebration on October 18th. Dr. Williams earned her PhD at Union in 1991, and her influential book Sisters […]
“Thích Nhất Hạnh: Student and Seminarian” | a new exhibit to further student research
This year, Burke librarians and Union Theological Seminary students have begun tracing the trajectory of renowned Buddhist activist and author Thích Nhất Hạnh (born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo) in his years studying at U.S. universities. Our new exhibit, “Thích Nhất Hạnh: Student and Seminarian,” showcases reproductions of original archival documents and invites visitors to consider […]
Hull-House Maps and Papers: On moving a book from general to special collections
By many measures, Hull-House Maps and papers is not a rare book. In 1895, Jane Addams and her colleagues at Chicago’s Hull-House published Hull-House Maps and Papers: a presentation of nationalities and wages in a congested district of Chicago, together with comments and essays on problems growing out of the social conditions. Their goal […]
Scrolls, Folders, and Megaphones
In 2016, two important events occurred: 1) Letha Dawson Scanzoni donated her personal collection of her own writings, research, and activist materials for the Archive of Women in Theological Scholarship and 2) a library staff member ordered a megaphone. Fast forward to the first day of my Graduate Internship in Primary Sources, […]
Paris Bibles
The Burke Library’s resources include some wonderful examples of the first personal study Bible filled with innovations still in use today. These precious volumes are not from the 19th-century, the Reformation, nor even the first days of the printing press, but are manuscripts from the medieval world, products of the end of the period […]