Tyndale Library Old & New

There are many old and new things at Tyndale Library, the library of New Saint Andrews College. The library has a collection of old and rare books, including a Geneva Bible, which is over 400 years old. This summer, the Library welcomed a new Head Librarian, Miss Rebekah Leidenfrost. Caleb Harris, the former Head Librarian, is now a Lecturer in Classical Languages at the college, teaching undergraduate Latin classes. 

Tyndale Library, located on the ground floor of South Campus, has been part of the college for many years, serving the students and community of NSA. The collection holds 46,000 bound volumes and many electronic tools, including an OverDrive database with audiobooks and e-books. The library also offers research guides, research courses, and journal databases. Through inter-library loan services, the library partners with other libraries nationwide to provide resources for students and faculty.

In a written interview, former Head Librarian Caleb Harris wrote about his work in acquiring the Geneva Bible, which was funded through donations from college and community members. He said, “Having worked extensively with one of Tyndale’s old, rare archival sources while writing my grad thesis, I personally know the unique value of having such sources on display and available for research use at the library.” 

Tyndale Library boasts a good-sized collection of old, rare archival sources. The oldest source was published in 1583. All of these sources are on display and available for research use by students under supervision.

Mr. Harris was the Head Librarian at Tyndale for three years. He explained how he worked up to that position at the library. Starting as a student volunteer during his sophomore year, he worked as a paid student employee the following year. A couple of years after that, he moved into the position of assistant manager, and from there he advanced to Head Librarian. He said, “I see my professional progress at Tyndale Library as a fitting representation of the kinds of opportunities that are available for industrious students during the course of their studies at NSA.”

Mr. Harris also wrote about his time overhauling the student employee program at Tyndale Library. He said that the new system is an excellent resource for students who work at the library and enables it to be more helpful to those using its services. Mr. Harris said, “During their time at Tyndale, student employees now learn “hard skills” relating to library work, such as shelving, labeling, cataloging, and assisting students with research.” He also explained that they learn many other core social skills, such as managing and interacting with precise systems of organization, time-management skills, and the ability to work largely independently.

The new Head Librarian at Tyndale Library is Miss Rebekah Leidenfrost. Miss Leidenfrost previously worked in one of the public libraries of Santa Clarita as a Teen Services Librarian. She earned her master's degree in Library Sciences from the University of Washington in 2020.

In a written interview, Miss Leidenfrost mentioned that she is working to make room for a Hale Institute Collection that will be added soon. One of the library's features is the Garaway collection: “a collection of first edition C.S. Lewis books in the Reading Room located next to the library.” She explained that because this is a specialized collection, it is non-circulating; however, anyone interested in viewing and reading them can do so in the library.

Another resource in the library is the collection of several physical volumes from the Loeb Classical Library. James Loeb started this collection over a century ago. It is a collection of original Greek and Latin texts with a page-by-page English translation. These iconic books feature green and red covers and are designed to fit easily in a coat pocket. The entire collection was recently published online, and the library has purchased an electronic subscription to it. 

Miss Leidenfrost is also working on collecting all of the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. These books are original medieval and Byzantine texts with facing-page translations.

When asked about non-student community members using Tyndale Library, Miss Leidenfrost said, “Yes, members of the Moscow community are invited to fill out an application at the library and pay a small subscription fee annually.” Community patrons are welcome to come in and check out books during school hours–7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, the limited study space of the library is reserved for students during regular hours, so if community patrons would like to study at the Library, they are asked to do that after 5 p.m. 

Tyndale Library features many great resources, both old and new. It plays a pivotal role in the college's academic community by giving students and professors access to necessary resources for study and research. All are welcome to come and see the book collections at Tyndale Library.