One collection is the papers of a minister from New York State named Desevignia Starks (1808-1887). Starks was an ordained elder with the Methodist Episcopal Church from 1835 to 1880. The collection includes letters, Bible text books, financial matter, Prohibition handbills and other writings.

A second collection was recently donated by a family from New Jersey. The papers of Daniel Mulford highlight the work of local Methodists in the Morristown/New Providence area of New Jersey from 1780-1820. The collection includes letters and journals in addition to other writings.

Both collections provide insight into the life and work of local ministers and their families during the 18th and 19th centuries.

During the week I also participated in a poster session for the International Collaboration Committee. I discussed our current digitization project between Africa University and Drew University. The Methodist Librarians' Fellowship meeting was also on the agenda. It was nice to learn what some of the other schools affiliated with the Methodist tradition are doing in the way of publications and projects. There is current interest in digitizing various Books of Discipline and conference journals. I'm currently searching for funding to begin a project to digitize all of our annual conference journals (several thousand publications) over the next academic year (2008-2009). 

The use of primary sources was especially present throughout the conference. The sources included diaries, letters, photographs, pamphlets, flyers, portraits and ephemera. The early photographs were of special interest to me and a short silent film gave moving glimpses of Sudgen and Queen's College. The contacts made at the conference will continue into the future. I presented a short talk discussing trans-Pacific collaborations and a number of people seemed interested in helping Queen's and Drew build each other's collections on Australian and New Zealand Methodism. I was given two books by Sudgen to add to our collection when I return.

Today (Sunday) I had the opportunity to wander around Melbourne a bit more. I did not have a car (a good thing actually since I've never driven on the left side) so I hiked around town. I spent some time on Lygon Street - full of shops and eateries. I also walked through the Melbourne General Cemetery for about two hours and then worked past an Australian Rules football game and a large stadium.

I'm leaving on a jet plane tomorrow at noon. Though I'm ready to get back to New Jersey - a part of me will miss the people and the places of Melbourne.

The people here at Queen's and those I've met in the Melbourne area are wonderful. Queen's College has an interesting tradition of holding a 'formal dinner' three nights a week during each semester. I participated in the Wednesday evening meal and sat at the high table with the Master and other faculty and fellows of the college. Many of the students were at the dinner and almost everyone wore academic gowns to the occasion. The dinner was wonderful - and my biological clock soon informed me we were eating at 5:30 a.m. New Jersey time. I then attended an annual quiz competition between the students and faculty in one of the common rooms.

Today (Thursday) Brian drove us to the State Library of Victoria located in downtown Melbourne. We met with Dr. Kevin Molloy, Head of Manuscripts at the State Library, who took me on a tour of the library facilities. The domed general reading room was spectacular and I had a chance to review a scrapbook put together by Dr. Sugden during the late 19th century. Later in the day we visited the Synod Archives and Historical Society center of the Uniting Church in Australia. We had a nice lunch with Rev. Dr. Ian Breward and several volunteers. Ian then took us on a tour of the archives and library. We enjoyed conversation about future collaboration possibilities between the Uniting Church archives, Drew University and the General Commission on Archives and History.

Early this evening I spent a couple of hours wandering the campus of the University of Melbourne. While walking the football/cricket field I recalled memories of high school when a few friends and I tried to replicate Australian rules football that we had seen on ESPN. After examing the U. of Melbourne field I realized our small Pennsylvania field did not compare! 

Tomorrow the Sugden Symposium begins and I look forward to learning more about Dr. Sugden, Queen's College, and the history of Methodism in this section of Australia.

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.

Drew Library and Africa U. to Exchange Copies of Methodist Materials

MADISON, NJ—Drew University understands the importance of sharing.  That’s why Methodist Librarian Christopher Anderson is working with Africa University on an exchange of copies of important documents.  With an eye toward sharing academic resources related to the history of Methodism, the trans-Atlantic project is set to begin in the coming months.

“Given the geographic distance between Drew and Africa University, there’s a good chance that our holdings on Methodism are very different,” said Anderson.  “This exchange will enhance both of our collections and open new doors of study for our students, faculty and visiting scholars.”

The items that will be exchanged include scanned copies and photocopies of books (public domain), 19^th and 20^th century conference journals, periodicals and pamphlets.

The exchange, which is titled “Building Collections on Methodism for Global Users,” is funded by a grant from the International Collaboration Committee of the American Theological Library Association.  Their financial support will cover the cost of making copies—both digital and hard—and shipping.

One of his latest publications, drawn from materials in the Methodist Library and Archives:

"The world is our parish: remembering the 1919 Protestant Missionary Fair," International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 30:4, October 2006, p 196-200.