wfn.org | ABCUSA: Historical Society Board Votes to Consolidate

["SCHRAMM, Richard" <Rich.Schramm@abc-usa.org>]

American Baptist News Service (Valley Forge, Pa. 9/29/04)--In its annual
meeting held here Sept. 23-26, the Board of Managers of the American Baptist
Historical Society voted to consolidate its two sites into one location.

"For 20 years we've been able to publish a first-class historical journal,
preserve and accession a large and growing collection that exists nowhere
else in the world, expand our professional staff and maintain two sites,"
said Tom Ross, a volunteer member of the Board of Managers from Brooklyn,
N.Y., and treasurer of the Society. "The managers believe that in the
interests of good stewardship it's time to consolidate the two sites." 

"One site means good stewardship for both the collections, our dedicated
staff, and visiting researchers, who often need materials found at both
sites," said Dr. Deborah Van Broekhoven, executive director of the Society.
Her staff and the collections are currently divided between two sites: the
Historical Society's Archive Center at the American Baptist Churches USA
Mission Center in Valley Forge, Pa., and the American Baptist-Samuel Colgate
Historical Library located at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in
Rochester, N.Y.

"Our partners, especially the Divinity School in Rochester and the Mission
Societies in Valley Forge, are vital in this process," said Van Broekhoven.
"All of us are seeking to meet the needs of our constituents in the most
efficient way possible. Obviously our first choice will be to consolidate in
one of these locations."

The Board of Managers approved a timeline for the consolidation. Their
selection of the location for ABHS will be made in September 2005, after a
year of study.	By the end of 2007 the actual move will be completed.  The
ABHS Board also established broad perimeters for selection of a site and is
inviting all interested partners to assist in gathering data.  Managers will
be evaluating for each location the availability of space, the presence of a
Baptist community, cost of operations and availability of partner
institutions.

Anyone wishing to help gather this information may request a listing of
needed features from the Historical Society staff or any member of its Board
of Managers.  Managers will also be recruiting volunteers to investigate
possible sites in three regions: the Rochester area, the Valley
Forge/Philadelphia area and New England.  Other site proposals will be
considered.  At least 4,000 square feet of office, research and work area is
needed, along with climate-control library stacks and archives space for
expanding collections that now occupy more than 10,000 linear feet of shelf
space.	

The Historical Society holds the largest and most diverse collection of
Baptist materials in the world. Focused on Baptists in the United States, the
collections include the personal papers of prominent Baptists; minutes from
Baptist associations from the early 1700s to the present; archives of the
mission societies of the American Baptist Churches USA, Danish Baptists and
Freewill Baptists; records of local congregations; and newspapers and
magazines representing the worldwide Baptist press.

In other business, the Board voted to move ahead with plans to search for a
development officer to help the Society raise the funds needed for the
future.  "The Historical Society's mission is to preserve and share Baptist
history," said Van Broekhoven. "We've got lots of creative ideas, such as a
website that could accommodate online exhibits and web-based databases for
our holdings that would make them available to researchers from across the
country and around the world. But our dreams won't be realized--and more
importantly needs won't be served--without adequate space, staff and
funding."

Made possible by a grant from an anonymous donor, to be matched by the
Historical Society, the development position will allow a staff person to
focus on procuring grants and soliciting targeted gifts from friends who
recognize the value of the collections.  A job description and deadline for
applications will be available on the American Baptist Churches
website--www.abc-usa.org.				   

K/2004ABNS/04ABN115

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (800)ABC-3USA x2077
/ (610)768-2077; fax: (610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org;
richard.schramm@abc-usa.org