The Marian Library was founded in 1943 to honor Mary, perpetuate her message and commemorate the contributions of the Society of Mary in the United States. It’s now the largest collection in the world of books and artifacts about the Mother of Christ and has attracted the top Marian scholars for study, research, collaboration, publishing and dialogue.
In this 75th-anniversary publication, the Marian Library invites all to connect to the vision and fulfill the call of the University of Dayton\u27s Marianist founders to share the knowledge of Mary.
It features an array of photos of Marian Library materials, along with comments from University of Dayton and Marian Library faculty, alumni and students

Cahalan, Sarah Burke

Kelly, Katy

Schlangen, Maureen E.

Zlotnik, Ann

English

University of Dayton

at the University of Dayton An international destination for the study and appreciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary  for The Marian LibraryIlluminating a Treasure75 yearsIn 1943, when the Marianists at UD started a new library devoted to the study of Mary, they were planning ahead for the commemoration  of back-to-back centennials in 1949 and 1950 —  the Society of Mary’s arrival in the United States  and the founding of the school that would become the University of Dayton. Within six years, the Marian Library became more  than an anniversary gift; it was a tribute to the  Blessed Mother, a monument to the order’s  educational mission and an important asset for  the Catholic Church. In 2018, as we mark the library’s 75th anniversary, we honor the foresight of the founders, the ambition of their vision and the dedication of all those who have served it. Including materials from the Middle Ages to today, the collection attracts University of Dayton faculty and students from many disciplines as well as scholars and theologians from around the world.at the University of Dayton An international destination for the study and appreciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary  for The Marian LibraryIlluminating a Treasure75 yearsTo Honor and Commemorate The Marian Library was founded to honor Mary,  perpetuate her message and commemorate the  contributions of the Society of Mary in the United States. It is now the world’s largest dedicated  collection of books and artifacts about the Mother  of Christ and has attracted the top Marian scholars for study, research, collaboration, publishing and dialogue.We invite all to connect to our vision and fulfill  the call of our Marianist founders to share the  knowledge of Mary.The relief sculpture “Our Lady of the Marian Library” on the south façade of Albert Emanuel Hall, the Marian Library’s first home, provides a motherly welcome to more than 8,000 prospective students and their families each year at the University of Dayton admission office.In 1943, Father John A. Elbert, S.M., University  president, appointed Father Lawrence Monheim, S.M., as the first director of the Marian Library. Here Father Elbert is shown presenting the first  volume of the collection, a copy of his book  Devotion to Mary in the 20th Century. Mary for All Sharing the Gifts Beyond Religious and Cultural BoundariesThe Blessed Mother appeals to people  of many different denominations and interests. Ever since its opening, the  Marian Library has engaged in many forms of outreach to all who wish to know, love and serve Mary.“The Marian Library has a remarkably broad, ‘catholic’ approach to collecting Catholic materials. We are fortunate as an institution that we have never seen a contraction of this ambitious and unrestricted collecting sensibility. … Our Marian Library is a library of the first order, not unlike the Frick Art Reference Library or the Hertziana in Rome.”— Roger Crum, professor  of art historyThe Study of Mary The Marian Library serves high-level researchers  in the field of religion, including the University  of Dayton’s graduate programs in theology, and  in particular the students and faculty of the  International Marian Research Institute (IMRI).  Sister M. Danielle Peters, I.S.S.M., earned the  Doctorate of Sacred Theology from IMRI in 2008.“I did not fully appreciate the privilege of having  access to the world’s largest holding of all things related to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” said Peters, whose thesis explored teachings by Pope John Paul II and Father Joseph Kentenich on Mary as mother and educator. “I simply took it for granted to be able to dive daily into the volumes about Our Lady in many languages, reaching as far back as the printing press. … The paintings, sculptures, crèches, audiovisuals, stamps, coins and rare data bridge the gap between scholarship and life, between the study of Mariology and Mary as a person.”   The Marian Library also  offers distinct opportunities  for undergraduates.Religious studies professor Anthony Smith uses the Marian Library’s stamps, postcards, brochures and artwork to support his students’ cultural study of 19th-century Catholicism.“It’s not just high theology,” Smith said. “It’s also a wealth of commonplace objects and materials that represent everyday Catholic and religious culture and experience. These are utterly cen-tral and important to what we call the practice of religion.”Madeline McDermott, a graduate of the honors program who spent two years as an archives intern, lamented that the Marian Library’s nondescript location keeps it under the radar for most undergraduates.“The Marian Library would be a great resource for undergraduate students doing work for religion classes, art  history classes, even sociology and  history classes,” McDermott said. “The librarians and archivists up there know their collections so well and can offer tons of great resources or research ideas.”Sharing the GiftsMaking a Difference at Many LevelsThe Marian Library has influenced the  understanding and the teaching of Mary at  a personal level, at the pulpit, in the classroom  and across the world. Because the collections range from medieval manuscripts to DVDs,  from sheet music to holy cards, and from  statues to rosaries, the library is able to  present a full, vibrant representation of Mary’s unique holiness and role in salvation history.Exhibits of religious art in the Marian Library’s  gallery have attracted thousands of visitors,  and art collections on loan to museums and  libraries across the United States reach still  more. Digital collections housed in the  University’s repository, eCommons, as well as  on the website have been accessed around  the world. Faculty and staff expertly assist  patrons and field questions from the media,  other institutions and the Vatican. And, Marian Library personnel regularly collaborate with  local parishes on catechetical outreach.Noteworthy Numbers• Materials in more than 100 languages • Nearly 100,000 circulating books • More than 12,000 rare books • 2,500 audiovisual items • 197 archival collections, including 30,000   Marian postcards and a nearly complete set   of Marian postage stamps • 3,500+ Nativity sets from around the world • A growing list of digitized collections made   available for research• More than 100 art exhibitions since 1988• An active presence on social media as well   as a regularly maintained blogHigh Purpose,Low ProfileThe Marian Library’s humble estate belies its  international reputation. The library’s collections have outgrown the current space. Researchers  and visitors do not always have ready access to materials. Space for collaboration, dialogue and private reading are in short supply, and collections are at times vulnerable to the space’s moisture  and temperature.Roger Crum, professor of art history, contends  that the collections’ importance, value and  rarity call for a space that is not just structurally  and environmentally compatible for archives, but also accessible and visible.“We do have a need for a more ample facility with  adequate climate control and suitable space for  reading and dialogue, not to mention permanent  and changing display of some of the library’s key  treasures,” he said. “Like any great library, the  Marian Library could, without proper attention,  experience a kind of frightening fragility. We must be attentive and very prescient to preserve the historic importance of what we have and jealously protect and unabashedly promote its continued relevance.”The value of the Marian Library goes beyond research.Several years ago, Catholic theologian  Neomi DeAnda traveled to Dayton to spend the summer exploring the Marian Library’s  extensive art collection for her research on  images of Mary with Jesus. There was so  much to see that she planned to return every summer. After accepting a faculty position at the University of Dayton, she now has the  Marian Library’s art, books and scholarly  expertise at her disposal all year long. DeAnda, who specializes in Hispanic and Latino theology, said staff contact her when they receive new information relating to her topics, and the rare books are a special benefit.Family and friends who visit Dayton have been impressed with the gallery exhibits and the  annual display of crèches from around the world. “The hidden gem of the Marian Library should be a central Dayton tourist attraction,” she said.The collection is stored  in multiple locations, some of which are off  site and not immediately  accessible.“So much of it is relegated to storage,” said philosophy professor John Inglis, whose students use the Marian Library in their coursework. “It would be wonderful if it were in a more public building with visual elements and  architecture that mirror the beauty and the importance of its contents and at the same time exude the Marianist  contributions to the community. People don’t know what all we have.”A Vision for Tomorrow We believe the time has come to illuminate  this important educational, devotional and  artistic asset and to give it a space befitting its noble purpose.Our vision is to provide the Marian Library  with a fitting space that will not just preserve  fragile and rare texts and objects, but also  facilitate browsing, research, dialogue,  exhibition, instruction and reflection.Such a space would celebrate the Blessed  Mother’s place in our cultural and religious  history … and future.Visit us.300 College ParkDayton, OH 45469-1390Learn more about us.go.udayton.edu/marianlibrary75Connect with us.mlimri@udayton.edu937-229-4214We invite you to share your ideas for how we can bring this vision to fulfillment. The Marian Library300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1390937-229-4214  •  go.udayton.edu/marianlibrary75 University Libraries

2018 Illuminating a Treasure: The 75th Anniversary of the Marian Library at the University of Dayton

https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&amp;context=libraries_rptspromo

2018 Illuminating a Treasure: The 75th Anniversary of the Marian Library at the University of Dayton

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