On online archives of Brethren publications from the mid-19th century to the year 2000 is nearing reality as the Brethren Digital Archives committee met on Monday, March 28 at Winona Lake, Ind. With more than $15,000 in hand the group is ready to begin scanning the first set of old documents, many of which are crumbling on library shelves.
At today’s meeting, the group made plans to begin delivering publications to scanning centers by early summer. They have partnered with Lyrasis, the nation’s largest regional membership organization for libraries and information professionals, to see the venture completed. It is hoped to scan 22 periodicals and 10 almanacs that are attributed to the Brethren movement as part of this first phase. The final documents will be available at no charge on the Internet Archive.
Included in this project are publications attributed to the Grace Brethren movement: the Brethren Missionary Herald magazine, which published from 1939 to 1996 and two academic journals published by Grace Theological Seminary, Grace Journal (1960-1973), and Grace Theological Journal (1980-1991).
A second phase will begin as soon as funds are raised. This will include oversized publications and ones that are not bound, which is a requirement of the grant under which the first phase is being done.
If you would like to donate to the archives project, donations may be sent to the Brethren Missionary Herald Company, Box 544, Winona Lake, Ind., 46590, or the Brethren Heritage Center, 428 Wolf Creek St. Suite No. H1, Brookville, OH 45309-1297. Be sure to designate Brethren Digital Archives with your gift.
Volunteers are also needed to check the accuracy of the documents once they are scanned. If you would like to help, call the Brethren Heritage Center at (937) 833-5222 or email mail@brethrenheritagecenter.org.