Community of Christ Library-Archives

Community of Christ Library-Archives
Name	Community of Christ Library-Archives
Country	United States
Established	1895
Location	Independence, Missouri
Type	Religious archive, research library
Director	Paul M. Smith
Collection size	1,200,000+ items
Website	communityofchrist.org/library-archives

Community of Christ Library-Archives The Community of Christ Library-Archives is the central repository for the historical records of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Community of Christ, preserving documents, photographs, periodicals, and artifacts associated with the Latter Day Saint movement, the City of Independence, and broader American religious history. The institution supports scholarship on figures and institutions such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Emma Smith, Alexander Campbell, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Woodrow Wilson while maintaining connections to organizations like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and American Historical Association.

History

Founded in the late 19th century, the archive grew alongside movements and events involving Joseph Smith III, Zion's Camp, Nauvoo Legion, Camp Jackson, and the development of Independence, Missouri as a focal site for Latter Day Saint history. Early custodians worked with contemporary scholars from institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and Columbia University to catalogue materials relating to leaders including Lucy Mack Smith, Orson Pratt, Sidney Rigdon, Wilford Woodruff, and John Taylor. During the 20th century the archive engaged with preservation movements tied to Historic Sites Act of 1935, collaborations with the National Park Service, and archival standards from the Society of American Archivists and the American Library Association.

Collections

The repository's collections document a wide array of subjects, housing manuscripts and letters from figures such as Joseph Smith Jr., Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, Emma Hale Smith and Joseph Smith III, corporate records of the denomination, periodicals like the Saints' Herald, and photographic holdings featuring Kirtland Temple, Nauvoo Temple, Independence Temple, and historic events connected to Westward expansion and Missouri Mormon War. The archives include rare editions of the Book of Mormon, early printing plates tied to Elder's Journal, minutes from conferences involving leaders such as Israel A. Smith, W. Wallace Smith, and M. Russell Ballard (as related historical figures), doctrinal statements, hymnals, audiovisual items documenting events with participants from United Nations meetings, ecumenical dialogues with World Council of Churches, and materials relating to social movements intersecting with figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, and Dorothy Day.

Services and Access

Researchers, students, and members of the public may consult manuscript collections, rare books, and microfilm under supervised reading-room conditions, with reference assistance provided by archivists versed in archival practice from associations such as the Society of American Archivists and librarians trained in cataloging standards influenced by the Library of Congress. The archives provide research appointments, interlibrary loan facilitation involving institutions like the University of Missouri, Drake University, Brigham Young University, and cooperative projects with Park University, Graceland University, and regional historical societies including the Jackson County Historical Society.

Preservation and Conservation

Conservation efforts follow guidelines promulgated by organizations such as the National Information Standards Organization, the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, and technical research from Getty Conservation Institute; treatments address paper degradation, photographic stabilization, and audiovisual migration. The facility maintains climate-controlled stacks comparable to standards at the Library of Congress and employs preventive measures aligned with practices from the American Institute for Conservation. Preservation projects have involved collaboration with specialists from Smithsonian Institution laboratories, regional conservators connected to Kansas City Museum, and academic programs at University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Digital Initiatives

Digitization programs have produced online collections and finding aids that interoperate with portals like Digital Public Library of America, HathiTrust, Internet Archive, and metadata schemas influenced by Dublin Core and the Encoded Archival Description standard. The archives have undertaken digital preservation planning referencing frameworks from the National Digital Stewardship Alliance and partnerships with university digital scholarship centers at University of Kansas, University of Missouri–Kansas City, and Washington University in St. Louis. Digitized items include early periodicals, scanned manuscripts, and born-digital records from denominational offices, supporting research on topics linked to scholars from Princeton Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School, and Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

Governance and Funding

Governance is overseen by denominational leadership structures historically connected to bodies such as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and current administrative units that interact with nonprofit governance models used by organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Association of Museums. Funding sources include denominational budgets, grants from foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, project-specific awards from entities like the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and donations from individual patrons, with fiscal oversight comparable to practices at faith-based archives and repositories including Brigham Young University Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library, and Emory University's Pitts Theology Library.

Outreach and Education

The archives host exhibits, lectures, and workshops in partnership with educational institutions like Graceland University, Park University, William Jewell College, and community organizations including the Independence Visitor Center and Jackson County Historical Society. Programming has featured research by historians affiliated with Brigham Young University–Idaho, University of Utah, SUNY Albany, and engagement with broader audiences through collaborations with media organizations such as Kansas City Star and public broadcasting entities including Kansas City PBS. The outreach program fosters scholarship connected to broader religious history involving figures and topics like Alexander Campbell, Elder James Strang, Restoration Movement, and regional history of Missouri and the American Midwest.

Category:Archives in Missouri