Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library

The current archive-library, associated with but not part of the Franciscan Mission Santa Barbara, is a secular institution with a friar currently as their Executive Director. The original collection and organization is from the founding of the mission system in Alta California by the Franciscan Order. Santa Barbara became the headquarters of the California mission system, and documents relating to other California missions were collected and stored in Santa Barbara. The mission system was founded during period that Spanish Empire claimed California. With Mexican independence in 1821, religious jurisdiction remained in Franciscan hands, but the Mexican government in the early 1830s secularized the missions, turning them into parish churches. The collection of books and documents held by the Franciscan totaled around 3000 documents and around 1,000 books.

The materials held by the Franciscans was increased by Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt, who conducted research on the Franciscan missions in California. He took extensive notes in the California archive in the office of the Surveyor General in San Francisco. Those notes are invaluable, since that office was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

The physical condition of the collection deteriorated, due to dampness in the storage area and mold. In order to prevent further damage, a new facility to house the collection was envisioned. Creating a non-profit corporation, separate from Mission Santa Barbara was accomplished in 1967.^[7] For a period, it was headed in succession by Franciscans Geiger, Francis Guest, and Virgilio Biasiol, who initiated steps to better preserve the collection.^[8] Following the death Biasiol, the Archive-Library hired a lay professional archivist, Lynn Bremer. The second lay professional historian and archivist is Dr. Mónica Orozco.^[9] The current director is Fr. Jack Clark Robinson, O.F.M., who holds a Ph.D. from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Primarily a research facility, the Archive-Library also hosts talks by scholars.^[10] Its collection is listed in a finding aid at the Library of Congress.^[11]

It has been featured in a segment on C-SPAN, with then SBMAL Director Orozco highlighting aspects of the collection.^[12]

• Official website
• C-SPAN documentary on the Santa Barbara Mission and Mission Archive-Library
• Cres Olmstead, "History of the Santa Barbara Mission Archive Library, California Missions Foundation
• Matt Kettman, "The Mission Archive Library." Santa Barbara Independent 15 May 2014
• Matt Kettman, "Mission Life not Black and White." Santa Barbara Independent 24 November 2011
• Santa Barbara Mission Archive Library, Library of Congress, Hispanic Division finding aid.
• Charles Hillinger, "Santa Barbara Mission: A Treasure-Trove of History" Los Angeles Times, 29 December 1991
• Scott M. Haskins, "Paintings of the 21 Old Spanish Missions of California by Edwin Deakin - their story and conservation." International Institute of Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works