the olcott library and research center bringing together the spiritual traditions of the east and west

mary jo schneider
librarian
the olcott library and research center
wheaton, Illinois

Since the late 1960s America — and now the world over — has experienced an explosion of interest in metaphysics, mysticism, Eastern philosophy, and a whole range of paranormal phenomena. Books and films on out-of-body travel, poltergeists, ghosts, UFOs, and astrology abound; and, the number of teachers offering cosmic consciousness seems to grow each day. Although much of this is misguided nonsense expressing an author's mental meanderings, or a guru's desire for fame and fortune, the roots of the movement may be found in a genuine concern to satisfy intellectual and spiritual questions left unanswered by religion, philosophy, and science. The initial impetus for this movement can be directly traced to the founding of the Theosophical Society in New York City in 1875 by an enigmatic Russian woman, Helena P. Blavatsky, and an American journalist, Henry S. Olcott.

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In "The North American Review" of August 1890, Blavatsky wrote that the work of the Theosophical Society was to answer to the call of "human longings for a nobler conception of the origin, destiny, and potentialities of the human being." She emphasizes that the basic object of the society is a belief in, and to work for, "essential brotherhood" pointedly adding that this is not meant in any Utopian sense but "a kinship which exists on the plane of the higher self, not on that of racial, social, and mental dissimilarities and antipathies.... If this view of the kinship of all mankind could gain universal acceptance," she says, "the improved sense of moral responsibility it would engender would cause most social evils and international asperities to disappear; for a true altruism instead of the present egoism would be the role the world over." The other objects of the society are to encourage the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science; and, to investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in man.

In 1882 the headquarters of the society was moved to Adyar, Madras, India, and it quickly became an international organization with branches in sixty countries. It played a significant role in the independence movements and cultural renaissances of India, Sri Lanka, and Ireland, and was the prototype for numerous other spiritual organizations. It attracted such notables as Thomas Edison, scientist Sir William Crookes, Irish poets George Russell (known as AE) and William Butler Yeats, artist Wassily Kandinsky, and the inventor of baseball, Abner Doubleday. Madame Blavatsky's major works, The Secret Doctrine, The Key To Theosophy, and Isis Unveiled became the cornerstone of the movement and are perhaps even more widely read today than they were then.

In 1926 the headquarters of the American section of the society was established on a forty acre estate in Wheaton, Illinois. Seminars, lectures, and classes are held regularly and cover a wide variety of topics relating to the society's three objects. The Olcott Library and Research Center is an integral part of the society and is located in a wing of the main building. Originally begun with donations from members' personal libraries, the collection has evolved into one of the finest of its kind and now comprises more than 20,000 volumes with several hundred new books added each year. Its growth has been achieved through funding by the Kern Foundation which provides grants to further theosophical activities, and also by user service fees.

The library collection is broad and diverse and includes both traditional and modern literature. The theosophical collection is the most complete in the country, and includes books in Spanish and German, as well as a number of books in the Russian language. The mysticism section includes the writings of Christian mystics Jacob Boehme, Meister Eckhart, and Teresa of Avila as well as those of more recent figures. The philosophy section includes works of the Hermetic philosophers, the Platonists, and the Neoplatonists, along with modern thinkers such as the Indian philosopher, J. Krishnamurti. The meditation collection is extremely varied and offers a selection of books from Transcendental Meditation and Buddhist insight meditation, to biofeedback and visualization techniques. The science collection includes material on the new physics, the philosophy of science, and related works. The selection of books on holistic healing includes titles on nutrition, herbology, vegetarianism, oriental healing practices, and psychic and spiritual healing. Consciousness, and Jungian and transpersonal psychologies are well represented by a multitude of books, most of which are recent publications. The parapsychology collection includes the works of leading psychic researchers, Louisa and J. B. Rhine as well as a host of popular titles on ESP, life after death, and psychic phenomena.

The extensive Eastern collection is one of the finest in the country open to the public. The Indian section includes works on philosophy, religion, and culture. Most of these are in English, but there are a number of Sanscrit titles which are part of the Adyar Library Series, a publication of esoteric indological texts. The Buddhist collection includes The Sacred Books of the Buddhists, the works of the Pali Text Society, and numerous modern books. One area in which holdings recently have increased is Tibetan religion and culture. In 1981 the society was host to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and as a result of that visit there has been a new interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Other subject areas in the Eastern collection are Islam, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, China, Japan, and Egypt.

A cassette tape collection was begun two years ago and includes tapes of lectures given at the Theosophical Society such as "The Holographic Model of the Universe" by Marilyn Ferguson, "Near-Death Experiences" by Ken Ring, and "Universal Compassion and the Global Crisis" by H. H. the Dalai Lama. There are also talks by a variety of other popular personalities, among them: "The Possible Human" by Jean Houston, "How Do I Deal With the Violence Within Me?" by J. Krishnamurti, and "American Indian Medicine" by Rolling Thunder.

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The periodical collection includes over eighty different journals ranging from popularities such as "New Age Journal," "Yoga Journal," and "Vegetarian Times," to the more academic publications "ReVision, A Journal of Consciousness and Change," and "New Scientist." In addition, there is a valuable collection of old and rare theosophical journals which are of importance to the history and work of the Society.

Although the library is part of the Theosophical Society, it is open to the general public. Many of our borrowers live in the Chicago metropolitan area, but because we are one of the few libraries of this kind in the United States, patrons are scattered throughout the country, and books are loaned by mail. Borrowers are charged a yearly fee of $14. Our annotated bibliography is a valuable source of information for those who must borrow by mail. It is available for $8 plus $1 for postage.

The library regularly honors interlibrary loan requests from public and academic libraries around the country, as well as from the DuPage Library System of which it is an active member. Because there is no computerized access to the collection, however, it is difficult for librarians to determine whether or not we have the titles they need. The printed bibliography can be of some help in solving this problem. It is offered free of charge to interested librarians in Illinois.

Because of the uniqueness of the collection the library is a valuable source of information for many researchers, students, and authors. Several masters theses, doctoral dissertations, and books have been based on research done here. Recently, the library gave assistance to authors researching vegetarianism and animal welfare, levitation, the Neoplatonic philosophers, Gnosticism, the early days of the Theosophical Society, and the New Age Movement and Fundamentalist Christianity. The staff is always available to answer reference questions, or simply to help introduce new patrons to the library. Visits from local high schools, colleges, and organizations are encouraged.

In the past few years the library has been host to various DuPage Library System meetings and workshops, and this coming May the reference librarians workshop will be held here. Visits from other library systems are most welcome.

In recent years the library has seen a substantial increase in the use of its collection. This reflects the growing interest among the general public in meta-physics and Eastern philosophy, of course, but its also due to the advertising program which has been carried out at both the local and national levels. There are two printed guides to the collection which are made available, free of charge, to inquirers, "New Additions to the Olcott Library" is an annotated brochure listing new books and is published yearly; "Selections" contains a representative sample of titles from the major subject areas in the collection and is annotated.

The library is located at 1926 North Main Street, Wheaton, at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society. The phone number is (312) 668-1571. Hours are Tuesday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.

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