Black History Month Exhibit

There is a new Seminary Archives exhibit in the library entitled "Black History Month: Movement Towards Diversity at LTSG." Curated by intern Meriah Swope, a graduate student at Shippensburg University, the exhibit features LTSG's first five African American students and efforts made in the 1970s towards incorporating diversity programs such as the Black/White Studies Program and the Program for Black Theological Education in the Lutheran Church.

The exhibit will be up through March and an accompanying blog post expanding on the exhibit will be published soon. Be sure to stop by the circulation desk area to check it out!

An Update from the Digital Journal Archives

It is a pleasure to announce that the Digital Journal Archives has grown from its original size of 100 issues of sixteen different titles to 370 issues of thirty titles. It has nearly quadrupled in size in a span of just over five months and we are only just past the half way point in the digitization project. We have received emails from our users, one of whom was from the U.K. It’s good to see that the digital collection is being put to good use by users from near and far. Additionally, we encourage our users to contact us at cswisher@ltsg.edu should they experience any difficulties such as missing pages or any other issues.

In another exciting announcement, the holdings within the Digital Journal Archives will soon be made searchable within the online catalog of the A.R. Wentz Library. Currently, the only way to access the holdings of the Digital Journal Archives is by visiting the archives webpage. Once the digital archives holdings are added to the online catalog the digital files of the archive will be able to be discovered by using the online catalog’s search features.  

Visit the Digital Journal Archive here. 

Sermons on Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo Source

On Monday, January 16, we celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was an activist and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Known for his use of nonviolent disobedience, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Today we honor him and his advancement in civil rights that has provided the freedoms we have today.

The Seminary Archives contains two sermons from the collections of Rev. Robert W. Koons and Rev. Herman G. Stuempfle that address the tragic event that unfolded on April 4, 1968. These are available to read and download in PDF format in our Seminary Archives Digital Collections which can be found by clicking here under "Sermons."

Rev. Koons addresses the Holy Trinity Church in Lynchburg, VA with the question, "Do you think there is racism in Lynchburg?" and praises Dr. King as an "advocate of non-violence, and of human rights, and of reverence for the truth of God's Word which makes free."
Rev. Koons sermon, "The Church That Makes God Sick" can be read in full here.

Rev. Stuempfle mentions that "we live in a scarred world. And a scarred world is no place for an unscarred God. But whatever else He may be, our God is not unscarred."
Rev. Stuempfle's sermon, "Isaiah 53" can be read in full here.

*****

As we take this day to remember Dr. King, it's important to honor his accomplishments and apply his principals in the present day.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Want to learn more about Seminary Archives holdings or Gettysburg Seminary History? Contact Assistant Archivist Sheila Joy by email at sjoy@ltsg.edu or by phone at 717- 339-1317.

Karen's Winter Reading Recommendations

Happy Winter Solstice! Since a new season is upon us it's time for another round up of reading recommendations from our Library Assistant, Karen Hunt. Karen has picked out some reads perfect to cozy up with by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa or tea.

1. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
2. Misty Manor by Linda Rawlins
3. Woman of God by James Patterson
4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
7. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
8. The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
9. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
10. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Stay warm this winter and happy reading!

Karen Hunt is the Library Assistant at the A.R. Wentz Library.

For reference assistant please call 717.338.3014.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Library staff members Karen Hunt and Sue Currens are happy to put out our stockings!

 Ever wonder how symbols like the candy cane became associated with Christmas? Stop by the library to learn some fun facts about Christmas Traditions.

Start the countdown! Also feel free to grab a bookmark for yourself, made by Karen.

Happy December! It's officially that time of the year again and the library is now decorated for the holiday season. Library Assistant, Karen Hunt, created a Bible Verse Advent Calendar display and "Christmas Traditions" display featuring some fun facts about Christmas, winter book recommendations, recipes from around the world, and fun indoor and outdoor winter activities to try if you're bored at home. 

And don't forget to enter our 13th annual THINK SNOW contest! Stop by the circulation desk to try and guess the date of our first snow fall...the winner will win a GREAT prize.

What's the Seminary's Connection with Jesus Christ Superstar?

 

Jesus Christ Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice’s 1970 rock opera, continues to mesmerize audiences more than forty years later. Usage rights belonging to UK pop impresario Robert Stigwood prohibited any group from staging the opera before its Broadway premiere on October 12, 1971, but controversy on this score created material out of which an interesting book has been written.

Published this month, Jesusmania! The Bootleg Superstar of Gettysburg College chronicles the production and debate attached to the illegal performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Gettysburg College chapel on March 25, 1971. Author Devin McKinney highlights the show’s connection with the Gettysburg Seminary, treating Larry Recla, who was an intern for 1970-71 at the College and would graduate from the Seminary the following year, as the star of his book.

Class of 1972. Lawrence Recla (bottom row, three from the right) graduated with a Masters of Divinity.

McKinney's recent research in the Seminary Archives features historical connections between Recla, Professor Eric Gritsch, and the Rev. Dr. Donald R. Heiges, Seminary President from 1962-1976. Images from our photograph collection are also featured, exemplifying the power that archival repositories have in bringing history and stories to life in our community and beyond it. A paperback copy of Jesusmania! may be purchased at the Gettysburg College Bookstore or online here.

McKinney shares his experience research and writing the book in the fall 2016 issue of Friends of Musselman Library newsletter which can be read online here. Also included in this issue is Rev. Recla's experience serving eight months as a chaplain at Ground Zero. In honor of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Recla recently donated his collection of related artifacts and documents to the Musselman Library that are currently on exhibit in "Remembering 9/12: Rescue and Recovery at Ground Zero" which will be on display until December 19th.

Looking for a specific class photo? Want to learn more about Seminary and Gettysburg history? Contact Assistant Archivist Sheila Joy by email at sjoy@ltsg.edu or by phone at 717- 339-1317.

New Acquisition and Archives Exhibit: Lutheran Historical Postcards

Front of postcard depicting Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.

The Seminary Archives have recently received a donation of over 700 Lutheran historical postcards! Spanning across the United States and into Canada, the collection contains images of Lutheran camps, colleges universities, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and retirement homes.

Back of postcard, postmarked December 6, 1915.

Some of the postcards contain correspondence, which is a rare find. This one in particular was mailed to Nova Scotia, Canada from Gettysburg on December 6, 1915. The sender, Mrs. Henry Wherley writes to her friend, Mrs. Austin Cleveland, mentioning a recent snowfall, the upcoming Christmas holiday, and that Mrs. Cleveland's mother has fallen ill. Mrs. Wherley asks, "did you even try rubbing dog fat on her legs...?" Quite a strange remedy, which I don't think became too popularized over the century! If you know anything about this so-called "remedy," leave a comment below!

To view more of the historical postcard collection, stop by the Library Lobby where an assortment are on display, or contact  Assistant Archivist, Sheila Joy at sjoy@ltsg.edu or via telephone at 717-339-1317.