Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library |
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| Old Mission Santa Barbara | |
| Type | Independent, non-profit educational and research institution of the California mission system |
| Established | 1967 |
| Location | Santa Barbara, California |
| Coordinates | 34°26′19″N 119°42′49″W / 34.4385674°N 119.7135889°W |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Historical documents, artifacts, photos, and books pertaining to the Franciscan Missions of California, Arizona; and much of the western United States. |
| Other information | |
| Director | Jack Clark Robinson, O.F.M., Ph.D |
| Staff | around 3 total (2016) |
The Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library is a special place in Santa Barbara, California. It's like a treasure chest of history, holding old documents, photos, and books. It started in 1967 as a non-profit place for learning and research. This library keeps many original papers from when the California missions were first built.
You can find different collections here, like the Junipero Serra Collection and the California Mission Documents. They also have old writings, maps, and pictures from early California. Plus, there are materials about the Tohono O'odham Native American people from Arizona. The library even has thousands of photos, some from the late 1800s, and paintings of the California missions by Edwin Deakin. It's also where important records like baptisms, marriages, and burials from the missions are kept safe.
Contents
A Look Back: The Library's History
The Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library today is a separate organization from the Santa Barbara Mission. It's run by experts who love history. But the original collection of documents came from the Franciscan Order, who founded the mission system in California.
How the Mission System Started
Santa Barbara became the main center for the California missions. This meant many documents about other missions were sent and stored there. The mission system began when the Spanish Empire ruled California. Later, when Mexico became independent in 1821, the missions became local churches. The Franciscans had about 3,000 documents and 1,000 books at that time.
Saving Important Notes
A friar named Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt added to the collection. He did a lot of research on the missions and took many notes from an archive in San Francisco. These notes are super important! That San Francisco office was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, so his notes are some of the only copies left.
Protecting the Collection
Over time, the old documents started to get damaged by dampness and mold. To protect them, people decided to build a new, safer home for the collection. So, in 1967, the non-profit organization was created, separate from the Mission. Experts like Lynn Bremer and Dr. Mónica Orozco helped organize and preserve the collection. Today, the director is Fr. Jack Clark Robinson, who is also a scholar.
What the Library Does Today
The Archive-Library is mainly a place for researchers to study history. It also hosts talks by scholars who share their discoveries. The library's collection is so important that it's even listed at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. It has also been featured on C-SPAN, a TV channel that covers public affairs, showing off its amazing historical items.
