Carmelite Library | |
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General information | |
Type | Academic theological Library |
Address | 214 Richardson Street |
Town or city | Middle Park, Victoria |
Country | Australia |
Coordinates | 37°50′54.43217″S144°57′36.76648″E / 37.8484533806°S 144.9602129111°E |
Owner | Australian and Timor-Leste Carmelites |
Website | |
www |
The Carmelite Library is an academic theological library located in Middle Park, Victoria, Australia. The library specialises in the areas of Carmelite Studies, Mariology, Spirituality and Mysticism, and holds Australia's finest collection of books and journals in these subject areas. The library supports teaching and research at the University of Divinity and its resources are also available to Carmelites, researchers, visiting scholars, and members of the general public.
The Carmelites is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the late twelfth century. The Carmelite Library is part of the Province of Australia and Timor-Leste. The Carmelite friars first arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1881 and brought with them the kernel of what is now the Carmelite Library. In 1886, when they established their first purpose-built priory in Albert Park, a library was one of the house's public rooms. Later, in 1928, when the decision was made for novices and students to be trained in Melbourne rather than Ireland, an academic library developed at Whitefriars House of Studies. Whitefriars was originally located in Kew, then in Donvale from 1937, before moving to Middle Park in 2006. [1] [2]
In 1942, the Advocate (Melbourne) noted that the Carmelite Library was being conducted under the auspices of the Our Lady of Mt Carmel branch of the Holy Name Society in Middle Park and at that time held 1,500 items. [3]
In the 1980s, the decision was made to stop collecting across the full range of theological disciplines and to focus on three main areas that are closely aligned with the life and spirit of the Carmelite order. These are Carmelitana (all aspects of the life, history and spiritual tradition of the Order, Spirituality (the Christian spiritual and mystical tradition, both historical and contemporary, and its links to other world spiritual traditions) and Mariology (the theological study of the Virgin Mary). [4]
In 2005, the Carmelite Library was featured on an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National program. In the program, A Mystical Library, presenter Rachael Kohn interviewed the then Carmelite Library manager Fr Paul Chandler who spoke about the library's history, purpose and some of the significant items in its collection. [5] [6]
The library moved from the Carmelite monastery in Donvale to the Carmelite Hall in 2006. The Carmelite Hall, built in 1918, is a spacious heritage building located next to the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Carmelite parish at Middle Park. [7] [4] The Carmelite Library is located in the same building as the Carmelite Centre, which was formally launched in 2009. Many of the centre's events are held in the Carmelite Library. [8] [9]
In 2023, a new partnership was announced between the Carmelite Library and the University of Divinity, for the university to provide library management services and to work with the Carmelites to facilitate operational developments and determine the future direction of the library. [10] [11]
The Carmelite Library welcomes both "the scholar and the seeker" to make use of its resources. [4]
The Carmelite Library holds Australia's finest collection of books in the area of spirituality and mysticism, with some volumes dating back to the 16th century. [5] The library also holds a significant rare books collection of approximately 750 items. [1] In 2021 the library received a National Library of Australia's Community Heritage Grant to conduct a significance assessment of the Carmelite Library rare books collection. [12] In 2022 a second grant was received to conduct a preservation needs assessment of the same collection. [13]
Collections related to the lives of significant Carmelite figures are also a feature of the library's holdings. These include: Saint Albert of Jerusalem, Doctors of the Church Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint John of the Cross, Blessed Titus Brandsma, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Saint George Preca, Blessed Hilary Januszewski and St Elizabeth of the Trinity [14]
The Carmelite Library is part of the larger University of Divinity library network. [15] [16] All members of the university may borrow from all associated libraries, which share a joint Library Collections Policy. [17] Reciprocal borrowing arrangements are also in place between the University of Divinity and the University of Melbourne libraries. [18] The Carmelite Library is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Theological Library Association (ANZTLA).
Teresa of Ávila, OCD, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.
The City of Manningham is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and is divided into 12 suburbs, with the largest being Doncaster and Doncaster East. It comprises an area of 113 square kilometres and had a population of 125,508 in June 2018.
Middle Park is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. Middle Park recorded a population of 4,000 at the 2021 census.
Donvale is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area.
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act 1960 for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the Australian people", thus functioning as a national library. It is located in Parkes, Canberra, ACT.
Pierre de Bérulle was a French Catholic priest, cardinal and statesman in 17th-century France. He was the founder of the French school of spirituality, who could count among his disciples Vincent de Paul and Francis de Sales, although both developed significantly different spiritual theologies.
The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology. It is now one of two major consortia of theological colleges in Australia, alongside the University of Divinity. Over 23,000 people have graduated since the foundation of the college. On 7 October 2022 it was granted university college status by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.
The University of Divinity is an Australian collegiate university of specialisation in divinity. It is constituted by eleven theological colleges from eight denominations. The University of Divinity is the direct successor of the second oldest degree-granting authority in the State of Victoria, the Melbourne College of Divinity. The university's chancery and administration are located in Box Hill, a suburb of Melbourne in the state of Victoria.
Whitefriars College is a Roman Catholic Independent school for boys located in the Melbourne suburb of Donvale, Australia. Established in 1961, the College reflects the tradition of the Carmelites, and is recognised for its uniform's brown blazer with the College Crest appearing on the breast pocket. The College has been a member of the Associated Catholic Colleges since 1999. The College was one of the first schools in Victoria to implement a notebook-computer program, which has now transitioned to a notebook-tablet program, in which every student is provided with a notebook-tablet. Its student population makes it the second largest independent school and educator of boys in the Municipality of Manningham.
Trinity College Theological School (TCTS) is an educational division of Australia's Trinity College, the oldest residential college of the University of Melbourne. It is also one of the constituent colleges of the University of Divinity. The School provides theological education and shapes men and women for ordained and lay ministry in the Anglican tradition, as well as providing other programs of study, including higher degrees by research.
Washington Theological Union (WTU) was a Catholic graduate school of theology and seminary in Washington, D.C, United States, founded in 1968. It stopped accepting students in 2011, and suspended operations at the end of June 2015.
Marie Tulip was an Australian feminist writer, academic and proponent for the ordination of women as priests.
Anba Suriel is a bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Los Angeles, United States. He previously led the Diocese of Melbourne and affiliated regions in Australia from 1999 to 2018, and first served as a bishop in New Jersey, United States, in the Archdiocese of North America.
Mannix Library is an academic theological library located in East Melbourne, Australia. The library specialises in the areas of theology, philosophy, biblical studies and associated disciplines, and supports teaching and research at Catholic Theological College and the wider University of Divinity. The student body includes candidates for ordination, lay men and women, undergraduate, postgraduate and higher degree by research students, and members of the general public. The library uses OCLC's World Share Management System.
Coralie Ling is an Australian retired Christian minister. She was the second woman ordained in the Methodist Church of Australasia and the first Methodist woman ordained in the state of Victoria. In 1977, she became a minister in the Uniting Church in Australia when it was formed as a merger of Methodist, Congregationalist and Presbyterian churches.
Elaine Stuart Lindsay is an Australian academic whose work has focussed on literature and feminist theology. She was instrumental in the development of the Women-Church journal which provided publishing opportunities in feminist theology for Australian women.
Janina Hiebel is a German-born biblical scholar now residing in Australia who works at the University of Divinity in Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests are in the period of the Babylonian Exile, particularly the book of the prophet Ezekiel.
Kim E. Power is an Australian academic, feminist theologian and church historian, who was a co-founder of the Golding Centre for Women's History, Theology and Spirituality at the Australian Catholic University.
Towards a Feminist Theology is the title of a publication based on an Australian feminist theology conference held from 18 to 20 August 1989 at the Collaroy Centre in Sydney. The conference was the first ecumenical feminist theology conference held in Australia. Significantly it was also the first time that three women's organisations had joined with a common purpose. The combined gathering of around 500 attendees represented an important milestone in the development of feminist theology in Australia.
Women Authoring Theology is the title of a publication based on a national Australian feminist theology conference held in Strathfied, Sydney in 1991. It was the second ecumenical conference of its type ever held in Australia, with attendees mostly coming mostly from the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting Churches in Australia, as well as several international keynote speakers.