Library of the Basel Mission under threat

The Library of the Basel mission in the Swiss city of Basel is doing its utmost to extend the survival of its 50,000 books and pamphlets, of which about two-thirds are in danger of falling apart because of the quality of paper.

The Library of the Basel mission in the Swiss city of Basel is doing its utmost to extend the survival of its 50,000 books and pamphlets, of which about two-thirds are in danger of falling apart because of the quality of paper.

Putting the documents on microfilm and stepping up paper preservation efforts are among the strategies used by the library, which also has about 300 videos and 300 periodicals.

The main focus of the material available is on literature about Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as on the history of colonisation and the sociology of development. There is also an archive with extensive historical documents and photographs.

While the library is increasingly used by research students, the Basel Mission is mainly intended for the interested layman.

The Basel Mission was founded in 1815 and it considered as its duty the advancement of the Gospel across the entire globe.

Its objective remains the same today, though not, perhaps, the means of achieving it. Its centre is the Mission House, which was built in 1860.


From staff and wire reports.