What is the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary?

The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary is one of the largest theological libraries in North America, located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan. Founded in 1838 with the acquisition of the Leander van Ess collection, the library holds over 700,000 items and became part of the Columbia University Libraries system in 2004. Its extensive holdings include rare pre-1500 incunabula, early biblical editions, and historical theological manuscripts.

What we know

• The Burke Library holds over 700,000 items, making it one of the largest theological libraries in North America. [2, 3]
• The library was founded in 1838 with the purchase of the Leander van Ess collection originating from the Benedictine abbey at Marienmünster. [3]
• Due to increasing costs, the library was acquired by Columbia University Libraries in 2004 while maintaining access for Union Theological Seminary students and faculty. [3]
• Early librarians of the institution included professors Edward Robinson, Henry Boynton Smith, and Charles Augustus Briggs. [3]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureHow did Union Theological Seminary develop its progressive history?
• a case in pointWhat treasures are inside the Leander van Ess collection?
• how we knowHow does the Columbia University Libraries system operate?
• what caused itWhy was the monastery library at Marienmünster dissolved?
• compared withWhat are the other major theological libraries in New York?
• an unexpected connectionHow a Napoleonic treaty led to a New York theological libraryThe core founding collection of a prominent Manhattan seminary originated from the 1801 Treaty of Luneville dissolving a German Benedictine abbey library.

Sources

• [1]Union Theological Seminary (Wikidata Q1196251) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Union Theological Seminary · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Burke Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Albert Barnes (theologian) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Columbia University Libraries · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. Who is the Chinese actor Yuan Hong?
2. /What was the relationship between Johann Bernoulli and Leonhard Euler?
3. /How did the collision of Africa and North America form Pangaea?
4. /What is the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary?