Office of the Dean

The Dean's Office provides administrative oversight for the educational, translational, and quality control work at the American Bible Society; it also oversees the work of the ABS's Library and Archives and digitization project. The Dean Manages strategic partnerships with the United Bible Societies, the Summer Institute of Linguistics, The Society of Biblical Literature, and the Center for Culture, Communication and Translation.  Together with these and other partners, this office plans scholarly conferences and provides translation training and workshops for national Bible societies around the world. The Dean serves as a spokesperson for the ABS on matters relating to Bible scholarship.

Under the direction of the Dean's Office, the work of the Institute is accomplished through the cooperation of three units: Library & Archives, Translations Unit, and the Education Unit.

Library and Archives

The American Bible Society Library & Archives represent a unique "collection of collections" dedicated to the history of printed Scripture throughout the world.

The Library documents hundreds of years of translation and printing and continues as a depository for new Scripture translations from around the world. At present, there are more than 2,400 languages represented in the collection, including numerous early printed Bibles and a small collection of manuscripts. Most extensive and unique, however, is the Library's collection of translations into the indigenous languages of the world.

Scripture Collection
The Scripture collection serves as an archival record of the Society’s publication history, as well as an important and inspirational Christian witness to the remarkable phenomenon of Bible translation and distribution in which we are engaged. Staff can use the collection to chart new trends in Bible publication, compare American Bible Society selections with similar items produced by other Bible societies and Scripture publication agencies, study contemporary efforts in biblical illustration and cover design, and trace the development of the Society’s Special Imprint program.

Reference Collection
The Library maintains a collection of reference books, including dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias, denominational directories, statistical volumes and literature concerning contemporary trends in Christianity and American religion. Standard religious marketing studies by the Gallup and Barna firms, new works by religious scholars, comprehensive bibliographies, a small but useful collection of denominational history books, and standard texts concerning nonprofit organizations are kept. The collection also includes concordances and commentaries, pictorial encyclopedias, Bible atlases and dictionaries, lexicons, style manuals, and books on subjects such as religious history in the United States, plants and animals of the Bible, the world of the Old Testament, missions of the world, and archaeology.

Periodicals
The Library subscribes to approximately 180 periodicals and journals. Standard informational sheets, denominational periodicals, scholarly journals in the area of biblical studies and more general titles relating to publishing and current religious trends are available to ABS staff.

Archives
The Archives is the primary resource for information concerning the history and mission of the American Bible Society. Besides historical data, the Archives maintains records for virtually every department—past and present—within the organization. The collection includes the minutes of meetings of the Society’s governing Board and its committees dating from 1816 to the present; founding documents, articles of incorporation, constitution and by-laws; correspondence files documenting the American Bible Society’s involvement in missionary activity throughout the world; language files explaining the history of translations in hundreds of languages and dialects; administrative records; audited financial statements; oral history interviews; research prepared by external firms; and photographs illustrating historical trends in translation, distribution and publication. Complete sets of the Society’s annual reports and the American Bible Society Record are also found in the Archives. Documents may be available in hard copy, microform or multimedia formats, and where necessary special equipment is available to staff for retrieving information. A summary of collection holdings is available.

Historical Essays
A comprehensive set of historical essays explaining the programmatic and administrative history of the ABS contains information for every area and department. Older institutional histories provide detailed data and insights into trends and programs, and they thoroughly document the development of the Society’s translation, publication and distribution functions. Newer, more topical treatments examine issues such as the ABS's historical relationship with the African-American community, the role of women in the Bible movement, regional trends in distribution, and the ways in which we have celebrated our anniversaries.

Hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can reach us by phone, e-mail, fax or in person. Researchers wishing to visit the Library and Archives in person are advised to make an appointment. A photocopy and document delivery service is available for scholars who live outside the New York area. Click here to search the Library catalog.

Translations Unit

The Translations Unit strives to make interventions—both theoretically and pragmatically—in the field of translation studies, and more specifically, in the world of Bible translation.  Our work is focused on the translation of the Bible into native language groups, incorporating insights from biblical scholarship, translation criticism, cross-cultural communication, anthropology, and linguistics. 

Currently, the staff of the Translations Unit is involved in the translation (or revision) of the Bible in Lakota (Sioux), Choctaw, American Sign Language, Yupik, Inupiat, Gullah, and Vietnamese.  These project depend on the work of Mother Tongue Translators, supporting their work with exegetical and technical expertise.

The Translations Unit also serves the Nida Institute by planning and implementing scholarly conferences on translation criticism, editing volumes of conference proceedings, and engaging other translation agencies in dialogue about the direction and scope of the field itself. 

Another exciting ongoing project of the Translations Unit is the Bible Resource Center (BRC) website. The BRC serves as an online platform for delivering biblical content to a variety of target audiences in order to foster Scripture learning and engagement.  BRC is the place where Bible scholars and students, teachers and translators, clergy and laity of all ages can find tools and information to help them dig deeper into the world of the Bible – its history, its cultures, and its timeless message. Through curricula, interactive maps, articles, games, multimedia presentations, and much, much more, BRC offers innovative and stimulating ways for everyone from children to adults to enrich their engagement with the Bible.

BRC is refreshed monthly with timely seasonal content that is in sync with the church calendar.  Included on the site are devotional materials for various audiences, daily devotions based on the American Bible Society’s Daily Bible Reading Guide, a monthly children’s activity calendar, weekly e-bulletins based on the revised common lectionary of Sunday readings, Bible Engagement Tools, Bible Study Guides, resources on the history of Bible translation, and helps for understanding various modern translations.  A popular feature on the BRC is “Ask A Scholar,” which generates queries on Bible translation, Scripture interpretation, and how the Bible is to be understood in light of events in our world today.

Check back again for future announcements, information and updates.