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Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts records

 Collection
Identifier: UA 5618

Scope and Contents

Contains materials prepared by the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts and its subsidiary, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. The material is a mixture of reports, minutes, contracts and legal paperwork, and some audio-visual material from exhibits in the Brigham Young University Museum of Art in Provo and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. Of substantial note is the correspondence and minutes related to the merger of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies from 1999-2001.

Dates

  • 1995-2002

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Restricted. Closed for 35 years from the date of creation of the records, and thereafter open to the public in accordance with the University Archives Policy.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any neccessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts records must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Administrative History

The Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART) was established in 2001. Daniel Oswald served as the executive director from 2001-2003 and Noel B. Reynolds served from 2003 to 2006. In 2006, the BYU Board of Trustees renamed ISPART the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

The Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts helped recover, preserve, study, and publish ancient documents. The institute was specifically interested in the Bible and its historical context, the manuscript sources of Eastern Christianity, and Book of Mormon scholarship. The Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART) was the administering body for the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (CPART), Middle Eastern Texts Initiative (METI), and Research Technology Group. All divisions functioned under the direction of an executive director who acted in the same capacity as a Dean of an academic department.

Administrative History

The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) was established in 1979 as a non-profit organization by John. W. Welch. In 1997 FARMS was formally invited into Brigham Young University by President Gordon B. Hinckley. FARMS functioned as its own research foundation until 2001 when it became a part of the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART). In 2006 it became a part of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship when ISPART changed names. Paul Y. Hoskisson has served as the foundation director since 2008. In 2010, the Foundation for Ancient Research was dissolved. The publication continued under the name of Mormon Studies Review.

The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies functions as a research and publication center that focuses on scholarly analysis of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, the Old Testament, the New Testament, early Christian history, and ancient temples.

Extent

3 cartons (3 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Materials have rearranged in order to have materials grouped by series.

Custodial History

Transferred from Records Management in August 2012.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred; Records Management; August 2012.

Appraisal

Departmental records (University Archives collecting policy, July 2003).

Processing Information

Processed; Joshua Barton; September 2012.

Title
Register of Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts records
Author
Joshua Barton
Date
(2012 September 24)
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections. University Archives Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo UT 84602 US