"Instructing Children and Families: Sunday School Books of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1827-1880"
A new exhibit highlighting the special collections of the Drew Methodist Library, Drew University Archives, and General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church is on display at Drew University.
The exhibit is the Capstone Project of Cynthia Rogers for her Masters of Theological Studies degree with the Drew Theological School. Concerning her exhibit Cynthia notes:
This exhibit explores Drew's collection of the 19th century children's books published originally for libraries attached to the Methodist Sunday Schools in the United States. These libraries were among the earliest lending libraries for children and families. In addition to examining the books' thematic topics, such as conversion, social reform, and character-formation, the exhibit will explore the way books were packaged and marketed to the early Sunday Schools. It will also highlight the career of Drew Seminary professor Daniel Parish (D.P.) Kidder, who led the Methodist Sunday School Union and edited its publications from 1844-1856, a period of great growth for the Sunday School movement.
The free exhibit, located at the United Methodist Archives & History Center, is open to the public Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. For information related to the exhibit contact Chris Anderson, Methodist Librarian/Coordinator of Special Collections at Drew University. He can be reached at 973-408-3910 or cjanders@drew.edu.
