The Collection

Scope of the Collection

The library is made possible by the generous donations of clergy, parishioners, their families, and friends.  Presently, it contains a collection of over 3,000 books, AV materials consisting of CDs, DVDs, videotapes and audiotapes, and an extensive collection of major Orthodox journals dating back to the 1950s.  It is a unique collection, primarily in English (with some Russian and other languages interspersed), arranged according to the Dewey Decimal Classification, focusing primarily on the Eastern Orthodox faith and religion in all aspects. 

Books

Areas of collection strength include Patristics, commentaries on the books of the Bible including the Apocrypha, Orthodox theology, apologetics, polemics, prayer, Orthodox life and practice, service books for all types of Orthodox services, commentaries on the Sacraments, monasticism, lives of the saints, history of the Orthodox Church in many countries,  iconography, and architecture of Orthodox Churches around the world.

A World Religions class, taught by the rector of All Saints of North America Church, resulted in the expansion of our comparative religions section to include significant sources on Islam, the Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism), Mormonism, and other denominations.  The classes and the accompanying library material are an effort to help Orthodox Christians become more aware of these religions that we may, in turn, better share the True Faith with others.

The Orthodox Church has played a major role in the history and culture of many countries.  The library reflects the importance and influence of Orthodoxy in these countries through the history, literature, philosophy, and art collections which are especially strong for Eastern European countries, the Holy Land, Russia, Greece, Byzantium, and the ancient world.

The Philosophy section emphasizes thinking from the ancient world through the Age of Enlightenment.  One may study the mutual influence the world of philosophy has had on Orthodoxy as well as Orthodox Christianity’s contributions to the ideas of people throughout history.

Our Reference section supports the general collection with language dictionaries, concordances, historical and current atlases, timelines, and many other types of factual data.

The Biography section includes the lives of people who have played an important historical or literary role in countries where Orthodoxy is part of the culture.

The Literature section contains the works of Russian and Eastern European authors as well as writings from ancient world civilizations.

The Children’s section contains books that support Sunday school topics, and offers appropriate religious reading for  young and older children as well as good reading choices on a growing number of subjects.

Here is an alphabetical list by title of the books in the collection for both adults and children.

Journals

Our journal collection includes many major Orthodox periodicals representing all the major canonical  Orthodox jurisdictions.  Especially significant are the complete runs of Orthodox Life, Orthodox Word, Orthodox America, Handmaiden, and Road to Emmaus.  Other important journals in the collection include Russian Life, Living Orthodoxy, Parish Life, Life Transfigured, Again, Ukrainian Orthodox Word, Little Falcons, and Tree of Life. Recent acquisitions include The Word, Orthodox Herald, and Orthodox Canada, and Solia. 

Pictures

The digital image file emphasizes Russian and Orthodox culture. This electronic resource is expanding to include more digital photos and electronic reproductions of paintings and portraits from Orthodox peoples around the world.

Maps   

This collection of printed and digitized maps emphasizes the geography of places where Orthodoxy has played an important historical role (e.g. Alaska, the Middle East and Eastern Europe).

Liturgical Resources and Music

The library's liturgical, music and service books are primarily in English, with some Slavonic, Ukrainian, and Greek.   These books support parish choirs of various compositions with an emphasis on church services as they are performed in the Slavic tradition.

The library also has a growing collection of Orthodox hymns  and Slavic folk music in English, Russian, and Ukrainian.  This music is useful for Sunday school classes, for festivals, and other cultural events.

Archives

Documenting, and recording the history of the diocese and the local parish church is an important part of the library's mission. This collection consists of scrapbooks of photos, notes, minutes of meetings, articles about the local parish, and the local parish newsletter.