C-N Baptist Archives receives outstanding achievement award

^{Dr. Merrill Hawkins, right, presents the Davis C. Woolley Award for Outstanding Achievement in Assessing and Preserving Baptist History to Carson-Newman University’s Baptist Archives. Hawkins presented the award on behalf of the Baptist History and Heritage Society and the Association of Librarians and Archivists at Baptist Institutions. Receiving the honor for C-N’s Archives are Linda Gass, C-N Archives assistant, and Al Lang, C-N Special Collections librarian and archivist.}

(August 30, 2019) JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Carson-Newman University’s Baptist Archives recently received the Davis C. Woolley Award for Outstanding Achievement in Assessing and Preserving Baptist History.

The Baptist History and Heritage Society and the Association of Librarians and Archivists at Baptist Institutions gave the recognition.

The award serves to “encourage creativity and excellence in state Baptist history programs, including all organizations involved in assessing and preserving Baptist history,” according to the society.

The society president presents the award during the annual meeting to an individual or a state program that demonstrated great progress and achievements the prior year.

“The Baptist Archives at Carson-Newman houses an impressive collection of unique materials documenting the stories and ministries of Baptists in Middle and East Tennessee,” said Dr. Taffey Hall, director of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives. “Manuscript collections, sermons, associational annuals, newspapers, church histories and photographs stored in the archive provide rich information sources for the study of Baptists in the area. Archives staff at Carson-Newman provide excellent cataloging and reference services for these materials.”

C-N’s archivist is Al Lang, who also serves as special collections librarian and associate professor.

According to the Baptist History and Heritage Society, Woolley was executive secretary-treasurer of the Southern Baptist Historical Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1959 to 1971. The commission established the award in his honor in 1991.

Founded in 1851, Carson-Newman is a Christian liberal arts-based university affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The University is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and has over 2,500 students. Carson-Newman offers 50 undergraduate majors, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.