The NEST Library Archives Special Collection (ASC) holds a variety of archival items that are found only at NEST. These items reflect the unique history of Protestantism in the region: as a meeting point of Arab, Armenian, American, and European communities. The archives are exceptional in that they provide a rich collection of material on Protestantism in the Middle East, particularly of communities from what is now Lebanon and Syria. These include church records, teacher certificates, photographs, maps, and theological reflections. The ASC also houses items from Armenian Evangelical history, including journals and records of the Central Turkey College.

Also found in the archive collection are records from the missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and the Foreign Board of the Presbyterian Church USA, who were influential in the region.

These items, which are exclusive to NEST, include private letters and journals of missionaries, such as Pliny Fisk and Levi Parsons, station reports, and records of affiliated schools and hospitals. Of particular interest are the Ford Family papers, which include writings of missionaries J. Edwards Ford, Mary Perry Ford, and George Alfred Ford. A collection of photographs and maps also form part of the collection.

NEST Library's Special Collections is currently undergoing a project to catalog its archival inventory according to more searchable subject headings, so please bear with us as we transition and refer to the PDF links below to peruse the contents of the collection.

For more information please contact library@theonest.edu.lb 

 Archive inventory

 Photograph inventory

 Map Inventory

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