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Recognized as the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of printed materials on Mary, the Marian Library aims to further study and research and to promote well-founded devotion to Mary. The library comprises a Marian collection -- theological treatises, books on shrines, sermon collections, anthologies of Marian poetry and other works -- and a complementary reference collection in scripture, patristics, systematic and spiritual theology, history, religious art and general bibliography.

Established in 1943 by the Marianists at the University of Dayton, the Marian Library  now holds:

  • over 100,000 books and pamphlets in some 50 languages, ranging from the invention of printing in the 15th century to the present
  • more than 63,000 clippings from newspapers and magazines
  • nearly 100,000 cards depicting Mary in the art of all ages and numerous Marian  shrines. (i.e., if we count the postcards, Christmas cards, holy cards, and prints of various sizes).

The Marian Library's collection of non-print media includes:

  • attractive collections of statues from around the world, Marian postage stamps, recordings of Marian music, Marian medals, and Rosaries.
  • more than 10,000 slides on Marian art, especially from the 20th century, and numerous video and audio cassettes (available for loan) on Marian themes and related topics.

The Marian Library is:

  • a clearinghouse for information on Marian devotion
  • a resource for theological research and support of graduate programs in theology
  • accessible online for most resources
  • the headquarters of the Mariological Society of America.
  • the site of an art gallery devoted to contemporary religious art, especially Marian art, and a museum focused on the display of Nativity scenes from the Crèches Collection of the Marian Library (numbering over 900  crèches).

To search online for Marian Library resources, click on the Roesch Library of the University of Dayton.

Monday - Friday, 8:30 - 4:30 or by appointment (937-229-4214).




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This page, maintained by The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio 45469-1390, and created by Michael P. Duricy was last modified Tuesday, 09/21/2004 11:52:02 EDT by Michael P. Duricy. Please send any comments to Johann.Roten@udayton.edu.

URL for this page is http://www.udayton.edu/mary/library.html