Sustaining the Rare and Special Collections of Burke Theological Library

FAIN: PF-50011-10

Columbia University (New York, NY 10027-7922)
Janet Elaine Gertz (Project Director: December 2009 to October 2011)

A planning project to analyze and recommend improvements to environmental conditions in the rare book and special collections area of the Union Theological Seminary's Burke Library, a repository documenting the history of Christianity and Western religions from the medieval era to the present.

The Columbia University Libraries seeks a one-year planning and evaluation grant to diagnose the causes of damaging temperature and humidity fluctuations in the rare book and special collections stacks of Burke Theological Library and propose realistic, achievable, customized solutions to bring conditions more closely in line with preservation recommendations for prolonging the useful life of unique and valuable books and manuscripts. This project focuses on Burke Library's Brown Tower, which houses the rare and special collections. Burke Library is the largest theological library in the western hemisphere and is an invaluable resource for scholars in many humanities fields beyond theology and religious studies, including anthropology, education, history, languages, music, philosophy, social sciences, and visual arts.