News and Information
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322

Release date: February 10, 1999
Contact: Elaine Justice, Assistant Director

EMORY'S PITTS LIBRARY WIDENS ACCESS TO RARE BOOKS

Doorways to the past are opening wider these days at Pitts Theology Library on the Emory University campus. Librarian M. Patrick Graham and his staff have created a group tour and interpretation program that allows a growing number of people to have a firsthand encounter with rare books in the collection.

The library offers groups the opportunity to visit its special collections, view a variety of items and hear commentary from Graham and library staff. Part of Candler School of Theology, Pitts library houses more than 94,000 volumes in its special collections, and is the second-largest theology library in North America with more than 490,000 volumes. To arrange a tour call 404-727-4165 or e-mail libmpg@emory.edu.

Graham says making Pitts accessible to more people is part of the library's larger mission and goals. Pitts aims "to build the finest research collection for theological study in the United States," which requires large amounts of special materials. The collection also seeks to include older materials that represent early voices in a period, whether on Methodism, Lutheranism, or other topics. Often the binding and arrangement of content, as well as the marginal notes, are valuable assets for research, he says.

Pitts also is using Emory University's resources and expertise to avail itself of the best in information technology, such as posting selected materials on the web. "We believe Emory is an excellent place where the old and the new can be brought together," Graham says.

The Rev. Jimmy Dube, a master of theology student at Candler and a United Methodist pastor in Zimbabwe, was moved by his encounter with items from the library's strong Wesleyana collection. "This chance to see the original documents, it was like slicing across time," Dube says. "Now, when I'm talking with others, I know I've handled Wesley's prayers."

Dube took a directed study in the fall with W. Stephen Gunter, the Arthur J. Moore Associate Professor of Evangelism at Candler. Gunter says he's not surprised at the reactions. "I remember 25 years ago when I first put my hands on an original letter of Wesley's," he says. "I've never gotten over the power of that experience. Now at Candler I've seen that power replicated in the lives of many of the students."

As word has spread of the new tour/interpretation program, Graham says 27 groups visited the library from July to early December, more than half from outside Candler. Groups stay from 15 to 90 minutes, and can arrange times on evenings or weekends. Visitors may view items from the Kessler Reformation Collection, the English religious history collection, the hymnody collection, or the Thomas Merton collection.