PRECIS 

Establishing the Archives on the History of Christianity in China: the Challenges to Hong Kong Baptist University Library

 The ‘Christianity in China’ Archives collection in HKBU Library

There are about 2,704 volumes of monographs, 31,000 microform items, and 30 linear feet of archival records on the ‘History of Christianity in China’ archived in the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Library. The Archives can be regarded as a leading research centre of the history of Christianity in China in the region.  The collection, in both English and Chinese languages, covers the topics of Chinese Christians, missionaries, church history and other materials pertaining to the history of Christianity in China. There are over 200 biographies and memoirs in the Archives detailing prominent missionaries, such as Hudson Taylor, James Outram Fraser, Karl Ludvig Reichelt, David Abeel and John Leighton Stuart. Various valuable and scarce materials, including letters and postcards written by Frederick Webb and 219 lantern slides from the China Inland Mission during 1902-1905 donated by the Billy Graham Center Archives are located in the HKBU Archives.

Importance of the Archives

Faculty members of HKBU came to recognize the importance of Christianity in China could become a new source of documentation for the study of ‘East and West’ relationship.

History and development

1.        Establishment and faculty participation

In 1989, Professor J. Barton Starr, a Southern Baptist missionary educator with the HKBU Department of History, started his research work on Robert Morrison (1782-1834) and, in the same year, established the Morrison Research Center in the Department.  He also collected a number of journal issues from the 19^th to 20^th centuries and archival records of different mission boards relevant to the history of Christianity in China. Prof. Starr and Dr. Lauren Pfister of Department of Religion and Philosophy of HKBU subsequently put forward a recommendation to establish the Archives on the History of Christianity in China (AHC), which was officially opened in October 1996.   Their initial goals of setting up the Archives were: (1) to make research materials readily available locally in Hong Kong (2) to preserve materials collected.

In 1997, Prof. Starr submitted a grant proposal to the Henry Luce Foundation of New York City and was awarded a three-year grant of US$120,000 in support of this new Archives.

Faculty participation is of vital importance to the establishment and development of the Archives.  A Task Force consisting of the University Librarian, the AHC Librarian and four faculty members was formed to help the development of the Archives and formulation of collection policy. 

2.  The mission

The Archives pursues the collection of materials relevant to the study of Christianity in China, regardless of denomination, or nationality.  These may concern Chinese Christians, or missionaries, and will include materials such as biographies, letters, diaries, church histories, and periodicals in English, or Chinese.

3.      Funding and grant

The University Library and Teaching Development Grant of the University funded the acquisition of materials during the early phase of establishment. With the Henry Luce Foundation grant, proper archival equipment and supplies were purchased. More importantly, the grant supported training professional archival staff and enabled the Archives to significantly build up a rich collection of missionary society records. The receipt of the Henry Luce Foundation grant has affirmed the importance and needs of further research into the history of Christianity in China.

4.      Collection guidelines and acquisitions

The collection had a focus on the pre-1950 period while the post-1950 materials would be selectively collected.  We solicited records of Chinese Christians, protestant missionary activities, churches and related institutions in China. The materials collected were mainly in Chinese and English languages. The microforms of archival records from mission boards in United States and Europe have further enriched our collections in recent years.

5.      Access

All members of the University are granted access.  The Archives is also open to interested individuals.

6.      Staffing and staff training

In January 1999, a professional librarian was sent to the Billy Graham Center Archives of Wheaton College in Chicago for archival management training.  She also visited 12 archives in the United States and attended two major archivists’ conferences in Chicago and San Francisco. 

Some current activities

1.      Space and environment

The Archives is currently occupying a total area of 96 sq. meters and the storage environment is not up to archival standards.  The main problems are lack of space and environmentally controlled storage. Extra funding and space are being sought to overcome these limitations.

2.      Preservation and conservation

All archival records are stored in archival containers. Staff systematically inspects and deep freezes solicited gifts or donations before adding them to the collection as a preventive measure against mould and insect infestation.

3.  Collection growth

The Archives has managed to obtain microform copies of out-of-print Chinese books on the history of Christianity from a few universities in China. It has been very time-consuming to identify relevant titles held in the universities in China since there are no Chinese book dealers specialized in subject specific out-of-print materials.

4.  The AHC web page

A web page <http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/library/aboutlib/libres/christianarchive.html> for the Archives was developed and it is linked to the University’s Library Homepage. Useful related links on the studies of Christianity, missionary and churches, and a link to the Journal of the History of Christianity in Modern China published by the Department of History of HKBU have been established.

Future development and challenges

1. Future acquisitions

Mega online bookshop is a major channel to search the rare books relating to AHC.  It is not uncommon to find missionary manuscripts, letters or rare books through stamp auctions or auction websites. Archival materials from organizations other than university libraries, such as from pre-eminent Christian schools, hospitals and social service institutions, are of importance as the conventional university archival materials and will become the targets of our future acquisitions.  History of local churches is another important source of future research.

2. Digitization projects

After evaluating six database management systems in summer 2002, the Library selected the TRS Information Technology database management system for its digitization projects. This system incorporates special thesauruses of Chinese phrases, synonyms and subject headings to facilitate searching and indexing with an added capability of URL linkage to the records. Plans are underway to digitize the Library’s vast collection of Chinese Newspaper Clippings covering the period of 1950 to 1974 and this will include clippings pertaining to the development of Christianity in China during this period. Considerations are made to use the TRS system for the digitization of the 219 lantern slides collection.

3. Co-operations in the region

The Archives see the importance of co-operations and undertaking projects with other Christian organizations. The University Library is an active member of the Hong Kong Archives Society, a local organization of archives and archivists.

There are more than 13,000 volumes [1]of archival materials kept in Christian colleges in China.  Many valuable personal archives of missionary educators who had worked in China can also be located in Western countries.  A series of catalogs of Christian university archives in China have been published by Ng et al[2] in 1996-98. These catalogs give an extensive overview of archival materials scattered over China.  It will be ideal to have these catalogs made available online for easier access in the future.  Resources can be shared through the ‘gift and exchange’ program, sale of duplicates, or microfilming some of relevant titles to us. Through consultation and co-operation, a network of scholars, researchers, and archivists can be formed to lay future collaborative projects. 

Conclusion

HKBU is a local and regional pioneer in establishing the Archives on the History of Christianity in China.  In recognition of building and preserving the value of such a collection and the need of rescuing the memory, optimized uses of the Archives will only ensure its success. 

We are facing the challenges of preserving the materials in a controlled environment, utilizing the advance of technology in digitizing the primary source materials, organizing workshop in training personnel, and resources sharing through co-operation scheme/regional network. These challenges will empower our Library to remain dedicated and active in collecting and preserving the “memory”.