Project ideas:
The Lima Campus Library holds the Lima Campus archives, which date from 1960 (the first year courses were taught in Lima) to the present. Potential research projects could include historical studies about the campus, or finding, selecting, and preparing stories for social media, or developing your own research interest.
Students working with hymnals will soon discover that each hymnal has its own personality, its own history, and its own statement about congregational song. Hymnology is the study of hymns, and it can tell us a great deal about music history, theological history, sociological history, and the role of song in a congregation’s expression of faith. It is a multidisciplinary study that can lead in many different directions.
One project would be to identify and address data needs for Hymnary.org, the largest database of hymnological data in the world. It is a database of textual and musical information about hymnals (current and historical) from a wide variety of religious, denominational, linguistic, musical, and ethnic traditions. Another possibility would be to do a close study of hymnals of any category. Likewise, researching the history of a tune or text is possible due to the tendency for one or both to change significantly over time, depending on where and when they were published. The ability to read music is a distinct advantage for these projects, but not strictly necessary.
Location: Cook Hall, Lima campus
Faculty Librarian:
Tina Schneider, Professor / Director, Lima Campus Library. She has served as the Director of Research for the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and is also on the editorial board for Hymnary.org.
Contact info:
(567)-242-7214