Libraries abroad: Princeton Theological Seminary releases its oldest books online

The Princeton Theological Seminary Library (USA) comprising the largest theological collection in the United States, will digitize books of its Special Collections. The Special Collections includes 50,000 rare books as well as early American religious pamphlets, artwork, artifacts, rare periodicals, audio recordings and microfilms. Only 21 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible exist in the world, and one is on public display at the Princeton Theological Seminary Library. Most of the collection is made up of donations, particularly from the Seminary’s professors who traveled to Europe in the 19th century.

More than 150,000 digital pages have been currently scanned and made available online on the library’s website. The library is also a member of Open Content Alliance, and has contributed more than 20,000 books to the initiative to create an online archive of free content.  The seminary’s contribution to the Open Content Alliance can be freely accessed online at www.archive.org/details/Princeton.