Religion Collections in Libraries and Archives: A Guide to Resources in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia Table of Contents - Preface/Acknowledgements - Abbreviations Lists of Entries: District of Columbia - Maryland - Virginia

Smithsonian Institution Libraries:
Anthropology Branch Library

Access Policies

Photocopying is 15 cents per page.

Reference Policy:

Telephone, mail and e-mail reference questions are accepted from scholarly researchers, colleagues at other research institutions and from the general public if they have serious queries and if they are unable to find an answer in their own local libraries.

Borrowing Privileges:

Limited to staff and Smithsonian fellows. The public may borrow through interlibrary loan using their local public library or their university library.

Networks/Consortia:

CIRLA, FEDLINK. Holdings are listed in OCLC.

Background Note:

Founded in 1965 with the merging of the library of the Bureau of American Ethnology and the Anthropology Department divisional collections.

Description of Collections

Books and monographs:

Unknown number of monographs on North and South American Indian religions. This collection was not consciously collected over the years, but became part of the collection because of its early focus on the study of the American Indian. Most materials relating to Native American Indian religions was collected by the Bureau of American Ethnology in the 19th and early 20th century. Collected for linguistic reasons, but helpful to the scholar of religion are Bibles, hymns, catechisms, and other religious materials in Native American languages. This collection heavily emphasizes history and anthropology.

Subject Headings