As Science and Health is becoming better known to the public, requests for information about the author, Mary Baker Eddy, have dramatically increased. At the same time, the academic community is taking a renewed interest in Mrs. Eddy as a nineteenth-century reformer, leader, and businesswoman, thus multiplying the requests of our Church History department for research assistance. In response, the department has been engaged for many months in a project to expand its space, reorganize its collection, and install more advanced computer software systems for the preservation, classification, and retrieval of these priceless materials.
Following our announcement at the 1997 Annual Meeting, The Christian Science Board of Directors has been actively considering the publication of some of Mary Baker Eddy's previously unpublished writings—a historic endeavor requiring thorough research and much organizational effort.
For these reasons, the Church History department is being temporarily "closed for inventory" for several months to better prepare it to fulfill the demands and opportunities of these times. This means that for the present Church History will not be open to visitors and will not be able to fulfill research requests. We ask for your patience.
