Library and Archives
The Virginia Davis Laskey Library and Archives was dedicated and opened on April 1, 1968 at Scarritt College. The library was the final building added to the Scarritt College campus and was a gift of the Women’s Division of the Methodist Church through its call to prayer and self-denial offering from the Women’s Society of Christian Service and the Wesleyan Service Guild. The Woman’s Division of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church also contributed grants. A Nashville committee under the leadership of Mrs. Henry Cannon, “Minnie Pearl” of Grand Old Opry fame, raised $50,000 for library furnishings.
Virginia Davis Laskey of Ruston, Louisiana devoted her whole life to the United Methodist church. She taught Sunday school for over 25 years, was a member of the Board of the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home and the MacDonnel United Methodist Children’s Service. She was one of only five women members of the World Council of Churches and was a two-time delegate to General Conference. On March 9, 2007, the library officially became the Virginia Davis Laskey Research Library, with a focus on organized societies of lay women. Today, the library offers resources for understanding the struggle, faith and vision of women committed to mission, justice and peace ministries around the world.
Resources
- Specialized collection of books on women, United Methodists, and missions
- Reference collection containing a variety of statistical and factual titles on a broad range of knowledge
- Women’s Division, Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church resources including minutes, mission, and study publications
- Journals from various United Methodist agencies
- Personal papers of missionaries and Scarritt College faculty
- Scarritt College photos
- Alumni/ae dissertations
- Rare documents concerning the institution’s history (kept in archives)
- Archives of the church and community ministry (kept in archives)
Usage & Hours
Weekday appointments are preferred; the library is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Researchers who need extensive resources should call or contact Joyce Sohl at jsohl@scarrittbennett.org ahead of their visits, so that resources can be pulled. If the researcher is not able to come to campus, photos or electronic copies can be sent to them.
Read more about the Laskey Research Library
“The Value of Slowing Down” by Elena Rosario
“A Library at Scarritt Bennett? Really?!” by Steve Gately