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Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska Partners with Archives & Special Collections

The Archive of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska has initiated collaboration with the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Criss Library to provide convenient access to some of the earliest diocesan records.

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Cover of the Guardian, June 1874

Last fall, the UNO Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections began to digitize the historical records of the diocese. As the digital scanning of each volume of historical material is complete, the UNO Libraries makes it available on its website. To date, the 1873 and 1874 volumes of The Guardian are scanned and available; these are the earliest two volumes of Episcopal Church newspaper history in Nebraska. Recently added is the 1889-1897 volume of the Diocese of Nebraska, a monthly newspaper initiated by Bishop George Worthington. Most of these volumes are extremely fragile, so digitization not only provides greater access to researchers; it helps to preserves the original documents by reducing handling. Each issue can be read in its entirety on the library’s website, or it can be individually searched by keyword.

Rt. Rev. Scott Barker, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, noted, "In 2018 the Diocese of Nebraska will celebrate its 150th anniversary, which means our growth as a church has been intertwined with the growth of Nebraska from the very beginning. It’s a privilege to make these materials available to scholars and the general public, and I pray they’ll help spread the wonderful story of the early church on the prairie frontier.”

Additional historical newspapers such as The Church Guardian and The Crozier, as well as other primary source materials, may be added to the digital collection in the future.

“Collaborating with the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska on digitizing and providing online access to the diocese’s early records is a great partnership for the UNO Libraries,” said Amy Schindler, director of Archives & Special Collections at UNO.

“We are working together to provide broader access for the diocese’s existing historical researchers while also opening the collection to UNO students and allowing wider sharing of the historical record richness found in another one of Omaha’s cultural heritage organizations.”

All digital collections are available to the public from the UNO Libraries and can be viewed here.

All original collections are available to the public in the archives of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska. Contact Jo Behrens at jlbehrens@unomaha.edu, or the Diocesan Offices for more information: 402-341-5373, dioadmin@episcopal-ne.org, 109 North 18th St., Omaha, NE 68102.

UNO Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections obtains and preserves unique, rare, and specialized material. The collections are available for the university community and general public at both the Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library and online whenever possible.