Baptist Denominational Material

Problems of Cataloging Denominational Materials

By Leo T. Crismon
Southern Baptist Seminary

From the Proceedings, Fifth Annual Conference of ATLA,
Rochester, N.Y., June 13, 1951.

(Updated version of this document was compiled by Kathy Sylvest and Pat Brown, 2002)

Where Denominational Literature Can be Found

The idea of the project grew out of my own difficulty in cataloging materials on some of the religious denominations in our country and in other countries because I did not find a place for them in the Dewey Decimal Classification system or in the index to Dewey and because I did not know how they were related to major denominations recognized by Dewey.

On the other hand I realize that much material which I catalog as routine may be difficult for others who may not be familiar with it. So it seems that librarians of the various denominational groups can help each other in this matter. ..

…It would also be helpful to have answered such questions as: What are the best histories, biographies, and bibliographies of the group? How are statistical materials preserved, printed, etc.? What languages besides English are necessary to be known to be able to do research in the materials? Where are the best collections of materials in historical societies, theological seminaries, etc.?

To serve as a pattern for other papers on different denominations and to make available to other librarians as much helpful material as possible in regard to my own denomination, I am working out the project as it applies to Baptists. The Baptists are recognized in the Dewey Decimal Classification system as a major group. The system also takes account of the different kinds of Baptists, such as Missionary, Freewill, Seventh Day, Primitive, etc. The Baptists are also related by the system to some other groups on the basis of the form of Baptism (immersion) practiced by the Baptists.

The Baptist have a rather loose form of organization, since all local churches are free to govern themselves and are related to other churches in organized bodies only on a voluntary basis. The smallest unit of cooperation is the district association which in many instances about conforms to a county in our political divisions. The association among Baptists had its origin in England in the 17^th century. The next larger unit of cooperation is the state convention. The next larger unit, and until 1905 the largest unit, is the Baptist body within a nation, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the American Baptist Convention, or the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland. There are about fifty national groups which now cooperate in the Baptist world Alliance which meets once in five years usually.

The Best Baptist Histories

1. Histories of the Anabaptists:

Newman, A. H., History of Anti-pedobaptistm 1896.

Smithson, Robert J., The Anabaptists, 1935, (much material in Latin and German has never been translated into English)

2. Baptist General histories:

Armitage, Thomas, A History of the Baptists, 1887.

Christian, John T., A History of the Baptists, 2 vols, 1922.

Torbet, Robert G., A History of the Baptists, 1950.

Vedder, Henry C., A Short History of the Baptists, 1907.

3. Baptists in England:

Carlile, John C., The Story of the English Baptists, 1905.

Ivimey, Joseph, A History of English Baptists, 1811-30.

Rippon, John, Baptist Annual Register, 1790-1802.

Whitley, Wm., A History of British Baptists, 1932.

4. Baptists in the United States:

Backus, Isaac, A History of New England with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians called Baptists, 3 vols., 1777-96; 2 vols., 1871.

Benedict, David, A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America, 1813, 1848.

Christian, John T., A History of the Baptists of the United States, 1926. History of the Baptists of the United States, 1926.

Newman, A. H., A History of the Baptist Churches in the U.S., 1898.

Bibliographies and Biographies

1. Bibliographies:

McIntyre, W. E., Baptist Authors, A-Day, 1914

Starr, Edward C., A Baptist Bibliography, Section A. 1947

Whitley, Wm. T. A Baptist Bibliography, 1526-1837, 2 vols.

2. Biographies:

Baptist Who’s Who, 1933

Cataract, Wm., The Baptist Encyclopaedia, 1881, 2^nd. Ed., 1883

Graham, B. J. W., Baptist Biography, 3 vols., 1917

"An Index to Notable Baptists," Transactions of the Baptist Historical Society, vol. 7, p. 182-239

Lasher, George W., Ministerial Directory of the Baptist          Churches in the U.S., 1899

Ramond, John s., Among Southern Baptists, 1936

Sprague, Wm. B., The Annals of the American Pulpit, vol. 6, The Baptists, 1865

How Statistical Materials are Preserved

Most of the Baptist churches publish weekly bulletins containing programs of the Sunday Morning and evening worship services and of the activities of the week. The minutes of the monthly or quarterly business meetings of the churches are seldom published, but are preserved only in long hand or typed form. The minutes of the annual meetings of the district associations are nearly all printed, so that they form a most valuable source of statistical materials on churches for which one cannot obtain direct information. The minutes of the annual meetings of the Baptist State conventions are also published. There are also published the proceedings of the annual meetings of the national Baptist bodies, as the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Baptist Convention, the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, etc. The Northern Baptist Convention (American Baptist Convention since 1950) was organized as late as 1907. Previous to that date there had been meetings of the agencies sponsored by Northern Baptists at the same time and place each year, referred to as the Baptist Anniversaries. Prior to 1845 this had been true of the Baptist agencies for all the United States. They are published proceedings of the five year meetings (called Congresses) of the Baptist World Alliance 1905, 1911, 1923, 1928, 1934, `939, 1947, 1950.

In addition to the above there are some other statistical publications which are not so regular in appearance as the above. They are as follows:

Edwards, Morgan, Materials toward a History of the Baptists, (in eastern states)

Asplund, John, Annual Register of the Baptist Denomination in North America, 1790-1794

Allen, I. M., U.S. Baptist Annual Register, 1932, 1936

The Baptist Almanac, 1841-1862

Burrows, J. Lansing, American Baptist Register, 1852

American Baptist Year-Book, 1868-1940

Also the Baptist in the various states, especially the southern states, have published weekly denominational papers

Collections of Baptist Historical Material

American Baptist Historical Society, Chester, Pa.

Backus Historical Society, Andover Newton

New England Baptist Library, Tremont Temple, Boston

Samuel Colgate Baptist Historical Collection, Colgate-Rochester

Southern Baptist Historical Society, Louisville, Ky. (Nashville, Tenn., 1951-)

Virginia Baptist Historical Society, University of Richmond, Va.

Berkeley Baptist Divinity School, Berkeley, California

Central Baptist Seminary, Kansas City, Kansas

Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, Rochester, N.Y.

Crozer Theological Seminary, Chester, Pa.

Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Philadelphia

New Orleans Baptist theological Seminary, New Orleans, La.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

How Baptist Materials are Cataloged

Continuing the Project

It is planned to have papers similar to this on other denominations prepared for presentation at the meeting of the American Theological Library Association in 1952

1998 Postscript: The 1952 Proceedings did not continue discussion of this project nor was there any indication that the ATLA membership produced documents in subsequent years.

 

Crismon, Leo T.  Problems of Cataloging Denominational Materials. In Proceedings,  Fifth Annual Conference of ATLA, Rochester, N.Y., June 13, 1951.  28-34.    

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