About

About the Library

Much of the Sage Library collection is housed in an exquisitely appointed Victorian book-hall. Built in the style of a fourth century Roman church and dedicated in 1875, the Sage Library was intended to provide a suitable environment “for the contemplation of God.” The annex to the original structure was added in 1929 and renovated in 1983. Among the treasured features of the reading hall are beautiful stained glass windows, a marble statue of Hagar and Ishmael, and a newly installed memorial honoring 1884 alumnus Horace G. Underwood, “the Father of Korean Christianity.”

The library’s collection contains over 160,000 bound volumes and nearly 300 current periodical titles. The circulating collection is especially rich in Biblical studies, theology, Reformed Church studies, and church and denominational histories. New resources relating to ministry in the African-American, Asian, and Hispanic contexts are regularly added as well. Sage’s collection also includes rare manuscripts and several of the world’s earliest printed books. In addition to the library’s physical collections, patrons have electronic access to a vast number of additional resources. These electronic resources include periodicals through the ATLA Serials and the Academic Search Premier databases.

The resources of Sage Library are augmented by the excellent collections available at Rutgers University. The resources of both university libraries well support the diverse theological studies of our students and faculty by offering rich resources in the social sciences, arts, literature, and the humanities. Through Sage’s affiliation with NYATLA and SEPTLA (the New York Area and Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Associations), access is available to the resources of dozens of theological schools in our region as well, making millions of titles outside the Sage collection available to NBTS students and faculty.

Sage Library is also home to the official Archives of the Reformed Church in America (RCA). If you are looking for archival records from an RCA church, genealogical information, or documentation about RCA policies and actions, please directly contact the RCA archives at archives@rca.org.