As I was recently processing the papers of John McGuckin— former Nielsen Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Christian History at Union, British theologian, Orthodox Christian priest, and poet– I came across something interesting: scribbled throughout a good third, if not closer to half of the collection, are annotations, notes, and even little jokes! […]
“Spiritual liberty is not inconsistent with a State of Servitude”: Slavery in the Connecticut River Valley
Reflections from researcher and guest blogger Tim Hastings, PhD Candidate in History at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst Because of a generous fellowship from Historic Deerfield (HD), I was able to spend several weeks poring over the collections in the Memorial Libraries (a library jointly administered with the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association [PVMA]) […]
Edward Robinson’s “Biblical Researches in Palestine”
Our newest display open Sept. 2nd at the entrance of the Burke Library will draw attention to Union Theological Seminary’s first librarian, biblical scholar Edward Robinson, whose travels in Palestine in the 1830s led to the development of the field that came to be called “Biblical Geography.” Both an academic and an experienced outdoorsman […]
“Magnificent Skies and Mysterious Landscapes”: Paintings by Beatrice Terrien
Yearning for “Mystery”? Come visit the Burke Library to view a new exhibit of paintings, “Magnificent Skies and Mysterious Landscapes,” featuring works by artist Beatrice Terrien who was raised down the hall in the corridors of Union Theological Seminary and has remained a lifelong Morningside Heights resident and friend of the library. On view […]
Re-Imagining Feminism in the Bible and Beyond: Johanna W. H. Van Wijk-Bos’ Commitment to Social Justice in the Face of Vociferous Opposition
— When Johanna W. H. Van Wijk-Bos took the stage at the controversial Re-Imagining Conference in 1993, she led them in song. “We shall not give up the fight/ We have only started,” they sang, at this ecumenical gathering of men and women (led by women) of 2,200 people from all across the country. The […]
Aurality and Devotion in the Premodern World project
In March, The Burke Library hosted “Aurality & Devotion in the Pre-Modern World,” a multi-disciplinary project on Jewish, Christian, and Islamic devotional song. The multi-day gathering brought together leading scholars from around the U.S. and Europe to share and discuss their research. Subjects included: medieval Hebrew liturgical poetry and ritual, Franciscan choral techniques, Syriac […]
A Grandfather’s Diary: the Darley Downs Papers
Recently, a web search for information on my grandfather, Darley Downs, a POW in the Philippines during WWII, led me to the website of the Burke Library, where some of his papers are archived. With a previously planned trip to New York City to visit my son a little over a week away, I […]
Hybrid History Happy Hour
We’ve held several enlivening and enjoyable events in our Reading Room over the past year or two, since “coming back” to school following the closures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s good to be back in person. But we have also experimented with new hybrid styles of events afforded by technology such as Zoom now […]
“Holy Ground” Book Launch with Catherine Flowers
We at the Burke Library were thrilled to collaborate with the Center for Earth Ethics in hosting a book launch on Jan. 28th in celebration of Catherine Coleman Flowers’s new book Holy Ground: on Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope. A multidisciplinary scholar and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Flowers spoke with CEE founder […]
Bookbinding and Letterpress Printing: Two Weeks at the Center for Book Arts
“Whenever I bind a book, I make sure everything I do is reversible,” bookbinding instructor Devon Eastland shared with our group of ten library school students at the Center for Book Arts (CBA) on W 27th St. We were mixing personal batches of wheat starch paste in preparation for another day in the bindery. Over […]