Archives > Collection Guides > Collection Overview

Collection Overview

The Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary Archives was established as a distinct department of Reeves Library in 1987, under the direction of Professor Emeritus Daniel Gilbert. Assembled from a variety of sources, both inside and outside the Library, the materials housed in the Archives include documents relating to Nazareth Hall Academy, the Moravian Seminary for Young Ladies, and the Moravian College for Women. These are mostly twentieth century materials, though some date from the nineteenth century, a very few from the eighteenth, and a growing number from the twenty-first.

The Archives housed in Reeves Library is separate from, though in some ways closely related to, the archives of the Moravian Church known as the Moravian Archives, housed in its own building at 41 West Locust Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. For further information on the Moravian Archives, visit www.moravianchurcharchives.org.

Mission

The mission of the Archives is to collect and manage information resources by or about the College and Seminary in support of its administrative and instructional activities, as well as institutional and independent research. In fulfilling this, the Archives shall:

• Collect, appraise, organize, describe, preserve and facilitate access to College and Seminary records and personal manuscripts of enduring administrative, fiscal, legal and historical value.
• Maintain a secure and stable physical environment for the storage of archival materials.
• Ensure the proper storage and handling of archival materials.
• Undertake preventative conservation measures to prolong the life of materials.
• Serve as a research center that encourages students, faculty, staff and outside researchers to study the history of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary.
• Assist administrative staff in the performance of their duties by providing information services.
• Promote knowledge and appreciation of the College’s and Seminary’s history, programs and goals.
  
  

For more information about what the Archives collects, please read our collection policy.