Librarians' Christian Fellowship

In September 2010, 9 members and friends of LCF visited the Evangelical Library in its new premises in Bounds Green, London where our host for the afternoon was the Librarian, Steve Taylor.

The Library's collection is a major resource for anyone wishing to explore the written heritage of evangelical Christianity. The Library originated in the 1920s as the private collection of Geoffrey Williams (1886 – 1975) who began to assemble books, especially those from the Reformed and Puritan end of the theological spectrum, including many classic works that were in danger of being forgotten by the Christian community.

During the nineteen thirties, the collection came to the attention of the noted non-conformist preacher Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who recommended a move to Central London where the books would be more accessible. After the war, the Library moved first Gloucester Road, South Kensington and later Chiltern Street, near Baker Street where it remained until 1 December 2009.

The collection is housed on three levels:

• Ground floor: Bibles, commentaries, concordances, and books on doctrine and church history (including biography).

• Basement: books on the Christian approach to other religions, a collection of Christian fiction and the Lloyd Jones Reference Room.

• First floor: books on missions and revivals, hymn books, pamphlets, a special collection on John Bunyan, and periodicals.

Interesting items seen during the visit included:

• a set of Paul White's Jungle Doctor books

• a special display of materials on the late Professor F.F. Bruce, the New Testament scholar

The Robert Sheehan Room, provides study space and the setting for occasional lunch time meetings and lectures. There is also a collection of rare Puritan works from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries housed in glass cases.

Back issues of the now defunct Christian Herald newspaper are kept and funding has been obtained for digitisation. Several years ago, LCF was approached by the former publishers of the Christian Herald for advice on digitisation, so I was pleased to see that the archive had found a permanent home at the Evangelical Library.

New developments include:

• an on-line catalogue of 30,000 books

• an on-going e-book project to digitise many of the classic evangelical works of the past.

The Bounds Green premises are certainly a vast improvement on the rather ramshackle building in Chiltern Street where the Library was based for many years. Although personal visitors are comparatively few in number, the Library operates a postal book loan service..

Steve Taylor is the only paid member of staff at present, but the Library benefits from the assistance of a number of volunteers (though more are needed). The Library operates as a subscription library and there are currently some 900 members who pay an annual subscription of £25.00

Our visit to the Library was much appreciated by members of the LCF group and we are grateful to Steve Taylor for his hospitality during the afternoon.

You can contact the Evangelical Library at:
5/6 Gateway Mews, Ringway, Bounds Green, London, N11 2UT.
Telephone 020 8362 0868.

A more detailed account of the visit by Graham Hedges is available in the Winter 2010 issue of Christian Librarian.