FOCUS ON OUR LIBRARIAN SARAH BELL
Upon entering the Midrasha-College of Jewish Studies Library,
one is immediately soothed by the familiar sights, and sounds...row
upon row of books and periodicals, large work tables, the
occasional soft rustling of pages being turned, and the wonderful
smell everyone remembers from childhood, of books. Founded in
1952 as the United Hebrew Schools Library, the facility moved to its
present location in 1970, and the name was changed to the
Midrasha-College of Jewish Studies Library. Librarian Ms. Sarah
Bell, who first came to the library in 1968, with a Masters Degree in
Library Science from Wayne State University is not only the
"keeper of the books", she is the library's chief historian as well as
an authority on many of the 39,000 volumes and numerous
periodicals housed here. "We try to purchase books which will
serve as reference materials and aid in research," she notes.
The library's collection currently includes many volumes which cover classical Jewish sources.
The collection also includes the Harvard University Library Catalogue of Hebrew Books, and the
Dictionary Catalogue of the Klau Library of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. An AMLI-
Israeli Music Collection was provided by Americans for a Music Library in Israel. This selection
includes sheet music of liturgical, instrumental, orchestral, vocal, choral and dance music, as well
as cantatas and symphonies.
Volumes are available on subjects ranging from the Holocaust to ancient Jewish history and
Jewish heroes. Many address issues related to the Jewish Community, Jewish Survival, Jewish
Identity, Zionism and World Jewry. One will also find the Art Scroll Series and the new Steinsaltz
Talmud, as well as other materials pertinent to Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jewry. The
assortment of periodicals includes many scholarly journals. The Midrasha Library also has Jewish
Genealogical Resources, including Family Finder, the Michigan Jewish Genealogical Index, which
is a part of the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. The index seeks to keep a record of every
Jewish person born or buried in Michigan.
Frequent patrons of the library include students
from Akiva, Hillel, the Yeshiva G'dola, Bais Yaakov
and Beth Yehudah schools. Other patrons are
often 12 and 13 year olds through adult Bar and
Bat Mitzvah students, study groups, college
students, members of organizations, people
seeking Yiddish material and scholars. The library is
affiliated with the Jewish Library Association of
Metropolitan Detroit. It is a member of both the
Synagogue and School and Research Divisions of
the Association of Jewish Libraries in the United
States and Canada. The Midrasha Library also
participates in the Oakland County Union List of
Serials Project, a cooperative listing through which
one can determine the availability of any periodical
in any library in Oakland County.
Ms. Sarah Bell is most appreciative of several library volunteers, Ms. Louise Lorber, Ms. Jean Levy,
Ms. Sue Sendler and Mr. Jonathon Hyams, as well as the Woman's Auxiliary of the United Hebrew
Schools, which annually allocates a generous amount of money to the library.