LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 351

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348 SPECIAL AND SUNDRY MATTERS

1. The Board for Missions letters and documents still remain. It is hoped that future

2. The Commission on Services to the Mentally Retarded AAL support will provide funds to continue the work.

3. The Armed Forces Commission 4, Catalogs and Indexes: Inventories, indexes, and cata-

4. Lutheran Television logs open up the vast collections to the researcher. Such
. . finding tools can, however. be provided only as funds allow.

5. The Office of the President of the Synod Completed catalogs have been prepared for the museum,

6. The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League coin and medal, Bible, hymnal and devotional literature, and

7. The Wheat Ridge Foundation

Private papers and collections of E. J. Friedrich, Alfred
Grimm (Alfred Ira), F. E. Mayer, Berndt Askevold, and
Carl S. Meyer were received during the past biennium.

The Institute’s collection of visual resources was signifi-
cantly augmented through the deposit of selected programs
and complete scripts produced by “This Is the Life.” Oral
history resources added include complete tapes of the Den-
ver (1969) and Milwaukee (1971) synodical conventions.

Services

The Institute’s primary goal as an agency of the Synod
is to serve. In keeping with this the Institute supplies in-
formation in response to historical queries, assists research
projects and studies, promotes publication of historical ac-
counts and biographies, and provides advice in historical-
archival work. During the past biennium more than 50,000
such services were rendered to synodical officials, boards,
and commissions: to elementary, high school, college, and
seminary students: to congregations, circuits, and Districts:
to genealogists and a host of other individuals.

Each day a variety of requests are received via the
mails, telephone, and personal visits. The staff is continu-
ously engaged in searching the resources to provide the
data requested. Nearly 6,000 letters were written during
the past biennium in response to mail queries alone! Many
of the requests are from congregations seeking information
on their early history and biographies of former pastors and
teachers. Others ask for suggestions on ways to observe
their anniversaries. Students request bibliographies and are
provided with mail loans. Genealogical inquiries continue
to increase as individuals search for their ancestors,

The synodical anniversary provided unusual opportuni-
ties for service. The Institute's vast collections of photo-
graphs have been used for special articles, illustrations in
anniversary books, and stills for the filmstrip and movie.
Requests for information on early worship practices and
materials have been frequent. Special kits of materials have
been loaned to congregations and circuits for displays. Re-
search and reference services totaled 26,613 in 1971, and
23,579 in 1972. This compares with 5,000 in 1952, 10,000 in
1957, 4,339 in 1962, and 24,360 in 1967.

Projects

Special projects which engaged the Institute during the
biennium include:

1. Bibliography: Through the generous support of Con-
cordia Publishing House, a complete bibliography of the
books and pamphlets issued by the Synod has been virtually
completed. Some 2,372 major items will be included in this
bibliography.

The Walther Publications Committee has assisted in pre-
paring a complete biblography of the writings of Dr. C. F. W,
Walther, a project also nearing completion. Over 3,300 items
have been included and provided with cross-indexing and
guides.

2. Microfilm: The present collection of more than 120,000
feet representing in excess of 1,000,000 pages of text has been
made possible through the support of the Lutheran Lay-
men’s League since 1954. Materials microfilmed have been
drawn from widely scattered points throughout the world,
enabling the user to consult such data in a single location.

3. Transcription: Many of the original documents and
papers pertinent to the Synod’s history were written in
German Gothic script. Unfortunately, only a limited num-
ber of people can read them today. In past years the Aid
Association for Lutherans financially supported the tran-
scription process. Over 500 letters written by Walther and
about an equal number written to him have been transcribed.
Additional smaller collections of correspondence are being
transcribed through voluntary efforts. But thousands of such

microfilm collections. Inventories have been prepared on
more than 125 manuscript collections. Catalogs for the
audiovisual resources and others are in process. The tools
already prepared have saved countless hours of searching by
staff and researchers.

5. Publications: One of the Institute's objectives is to
publish historical literature through the Concordia Historical
Institute Quarterly. Now in its 46th year, the Quarterly
ranks as one of the oldest denominational historical pub-
lications in the United States and is still the only journal
appearing in America devoted to the history of Lutheranism.
For 16 years until his death on 17 December 1972, Carl S.
Meyer served as editor. Frederick Nohl is serving as acting
editor during 1973.

As part of the 125th anniversary observance, the Institute
published the papers presented at its special November 1971
symposium in a greatly expanded issue of the Quarterly
(May 1972), which was sent to all Lutheran clregymen in
North America. The project was funded by the Aid Associa-
tion for Lutherans,

Other Institute publications include Historical Footnotes
(a newsletter for members), The Regional Archivist (a
newsletter on archival techniques), and a series of “How
To” bulletins. Samples of all publications are available on
request.

6. Used-Book Service: Requests for out-of-print books
and pamphlets are received daily at the Institute. Conse-
quently the Institute’s used-book service is meeting a felt
need. This service also gives retired pastors and teachers,
their widows and families an opportunity to dispose of
libraries. Many titles written by church leaders and theo-
logians of previous generations are available. Each year
hundreds of books are thus recycled for use in the church.

7. Saxon Lutheran Memorial: History buffs, children,
tourists, and others have shown a deep interest in the
Saxon Lutheran Memorial at Frohna, Mo., in the “cradle of
the Missouri Synod.” The restored two-story log cabin and
other buildings date back to the 1840s. Several thousand
visitors annually walk into this “open history book.”

Since 1971, the Lutheran Annuals have featured points
of interest to Lutheran travelers all over the United States.
These travel guides have been particularly helpful in pre-
paring for the country's bicentennial in 1976.

8. Museum Extension Service: In addition to regular ex-
hibits in its building, the Institute offers a museum extension
service. This service loans resource materials from the syn-
odical mission fields to congregations, circuits, and schools
for mission fairs. In 1972 special kits were also prepared
for local displays on the Synod's anniversary,

Archival Relationships

The Missouri Synod archival structure embraces the
central archives and the District and congregational ar-
chives. Such a structure allows each archive to supplement
the other, making it possible to maintain decentralized col-
lections at much less expense.

The Institute assists District archivists through biennial
conferences and workshops which also attract participants
from American church bodies and other Lutheran churches.
The 12th in this series is planned for St.Louis this fall.

The Denver convention (Res. 11-13) encouraged congre~
gations to establish their own archives and to make use of
the Institute's resources and helps. Naturally, the greatest
beneficiary of such local archives are the congregation mem-
bers and their descendants.

Board of Governors and Staff

Members of the Institute's Board of Governors during the
present biennium have been Gerhardt Kramer, President;
Otto A. Dorn, Vice-President; Frederick Nohl, Secretary:
Harry L. Smith. Treasurer: Alfred Buls. John Kovac, Wil-
liam A. Kramer, Lester O. Roth, George Thomas, and James